Hershey Reports Sharp Profit Decline in Q1, Warns Tariffs Will Impact Future Earnings

The Hershey Company posts a significant drop in first-quarter profits, reporting earnings of just over $224 million—down sharply from $797.5 million during the same period last year. The chocolate and snack food giant attributes the downturn to a combination of weakening consumer demand and mounting cost pressures, including looming tariffs that could further strain its bottom line.

In its earnings statement released Thursday, Hershey says it expects tariffs to cost the company as much as $20 million in the second quarter of 2025, as new trade policies continue to ripple across the food and consumer goods industries. . .