Hershey Company (The)
HSY Consumer Defensive Confectioners
Hershey Company (The)’s revenue for fiscal 2025 (year ended December 2025) was $11.7 billion, up 4.38% from fiscal 2024. In the quarter to June 2026, revenue grew 6.60%, EPS grew 869.2%, free cash flow grew 809.1% and total debt was flat, each against the same quarter a year earlier. Member of the S&P 500; dividend growth for twenty-five consecutive years, revenue growth for ten; insiders bought in the last twelve months.
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Hershey Company (The) (HSY) Beneish M-score
Hershey Company (The)'s Beneish M-score for fiscal 2025 is −2.79; values above −1.78 are the model's flag for possible earnings manipulation — a statistical screen, not a finding.
Beneish M-score, annual
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Annual newest first
| Period | Beneish M-score | Change (points) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | −2.79 | (0.13) |
| FY2024 | −2.66 | (0.12) |
| FY2023 | −2.54 | 0.15 |
| FY2022 | −2.70 | (0.16) |
| FY2021 | −2.53 | 0.11 |
| FY2020 | −2.65 | 0.15 |
| FY2019 | −2.80 | (0.40) |
| FY2018 | −2.39 | 0.58 |
| FY2017 | −2.97 | (0.37) |
| FY2016 | −2.60 | 0.61 |
How fiscal 2025’s score is made up
| Component | This year | Year before | Result | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Days’ sales in receivables index | 0.87 | — | 0.80 | |
| Gross margin index | 1.41 | — | 0.74 | |
| Asset quality index | 1.09 | — | 0.44 | |
| Sales growth index | 1.04 | — | 0.93 | |
| Depreciation index | 0.93 | — | 0.11 | |
| SG&A index | 0.99 | — | −0.17 | |
| Total accruals to total assets | (0.10) | — | −0.47 | |
| Leverage index | 1.02 | — | −0.33 | |
| Beneish M-score | Low — no pattern the model associates with manipulation | −2.79 | ||
How the Beneish M-score works
M = −4.84 + 0.920 × DSRI + 0.528 × GMI + 0.404 × AQI + 0.892 × SGI + 0.115 × DEPI − 0.172 × SGAI + 4.679 × TATA − 0.327 × LVGI (Beneish, 1999): eight changes in the accounts from one fiscal year to the next, which the model weighs for the pattern seen in companies that later restated their earnings. Higher is worse.
| below −2.22 | Low — no pattern the model associates with manipulation |
|---|---|
| −2.22 to −1.78 | Elevated |
| above −1.78 | Flagged by the model |
−1.78 is the cut-off usually quoted from the paper, −2.22 a common conservative one. A statistical screen, not a finding of wrongdoing.
When asset quality, depreciation or SG&A cannot be worked out, that index is set to 1, as Beneish did, and the breakdown says so; with all three missing there is no score. Depreciation includes amortisation, and asset quality leaves out securities. Not worked out for banks, insurers and REITs.
Beneish M-score against peers
| Company | Beneish M-score |
|---|---|
| RMCF Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Inc. compare | −3.5× |
| HSY Hershey Company (The) | −2.8× |
| TR Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. compare | −2.5× |
| MDLZ Mondelez International, Inc. compare | −2.4× |
| SOWG Sow Good Inc. compare | −2.1× |
What Beneish M-score is
The Beneish M-Score combines eight year-on-year changes in the accounts into a statistical screen for patterns seen in companies that overstated earnings.
−4.84 + 0.920 × DSRI + 0.528 × GMI + 0.404 × AQI + 0.892 × SGI + 0.115 × DEPI − 0.172 × SGAI + 4.679 × TATA − 0.327 × LVGI
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