HS

The Hershey Company stock research

Dec 31, 2023

FY2023 Q4

The Hershey (HSY) Gross Margin — Quarter Ended Dec 31, 2023

Revenue was unchanged from the same quarter one year earlier, while gross profit and cost of revenue also remained at similar levels. Gross margin weakened slightly compared to both the immediately preceding quarter and the same quarter one year earlier.

Gross margin takeaway

Quarter ended Dec 31, 2023 · FY2023 Q4

Revenue was unchanged from the same quarter one year earlier, while gross profit and cost of revenue also remained at similar levels. Gross margin weakened slightly compared to both the immediately preceding quarter and the same quarter one year earlier.

  • Gross margin declined from the prior quarter as gross profit decreased more than proportionally relative to revenue. The year-over-year comparison shows a similar weakening, with gross margin slightly lower despite stable revenue.
  • Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, revenue was lower and gross profit was lower, resulting in a weakened gross margin. Versus the same quarter one year earlier, revenue was stable, gross profit was stable, but gross margin was slightly lower.

Gross margin snapshot

The selected quarter's reported revenue, gross profit, direct costs, and margin comparisons.

Gross margin

42.3%

Gross profit

$1.1B

Revenue

$2.7B

Cost of revenue

$1.5B

Quarter-over-quarter change

-2.6 pts

Year-over-year change

-0.9 pts

Quarterly gross margin trend

A four-quarter view of the revenue and direct-cost bridge behind gross margin.

PeriodRevenueGross profitCost of revenueGross margin
Apr 2, 2023$3.0B$1.4B$1.6B46.3%
Jul 2, 2023$2.5B$1.1B$1.4B45.5%
Oct 1, 2023$3.0B$1.4B$1.7B44.9%
Dec 31, 2023$2.7B$1.1B$1.5B42.3%

Quarterly comparisons

Compare the selected margin with the preceding quarter and the same fiscal quarter one year earlier.

Previous-quarter change

Oct 1, 2023

-2.6 pts

Year-over-year change

Dec 31, 2022

-0.9 pts

What the margin says

Filing-constrained interpretation of margin direction, comparisons, and what to monitor next.

Gross margin declined from the prior quarter as gross profit decreased more than proportionally relative to revenue. The year-over-year comparison shows a similar weakening, with gross margin slightly lower despite stable revenue.

Compared to the immediately preceding quarter, revenue was lower and gross profit was lower, resulting in a weakened gross margin. Versus the same quarter one year earlier, revenue was stable, gross profit was stable, but gross margin was slightly lower.

Monitor the relationship between cost of revenue and revenue in upcoming quarters to assess whether gross margin stabilizes or continues to weaken.