Sustainable Cocoa In The Production Of Its Chocolate Kissesnment

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Perez, M., & Chasan, E. (2018). Hershey to Spend $500 Million making More Sustainable Kisses. Bloomberg. Retrieved September 14, 2018, from /news/articles/2018-04-03/hershey-to-invest-500-million-in-making-more-sustainable-kisses
This article focuses on Hershey’s quest to use sustainable cocoa in the production of its chocolate Kisses. This was introduced mainly to empower the youth, nourish children, build prosperous communities, and preserve the natural ecosystem. Aside from these, the program seeks to offer support towards the elimination of child labor. The article continues to indicate that the price of cocoa has reduced and while this is typical of agricultural products, Hershey’s chief procurement officer said that the company appreciates the opportunity to help the grower communities. Apparently, companies have been trying to acquire sustainable products and Hershey’s Pennsylvania-based chocolate company has enhanced its efforts in buying certified and sustainable cocoa. Hershey’s new program, the article reports, will start in Ivory Coast and Ghana before making its way to South America. The article continues to provide further details of cocoa growing countries like Ivory Coast whose forest cover continues to decrease at a high rate. However, with their agenda in mind, the article reports that Hershey intends to start a nutritional program in Ghana while also expanding its initiative into Ivory Coast.
Riesen, R. (2018). Hershey: Perfect Time to Pick Up This Reliable Dividend Stock. Seeking Alpha. Retrieved September 14, 2018, from https://seekingalpha.com/article/4170746-hershey-perfect-time-pick-reliable-dividend-stock
In this article, Riesen tries to encourage people to invest or pick up Hershey’s dividend stocks. Apparently, it is a good time to buy dividend stocks from Hershey and his report bases his claim on the sales and earnings of Hershey, the 2.86% dividend stock which is supported by free cash flow, and the fact that Hershey is attractively valued. In further explanation of the same, the article reveals the good performance of Hershey whose net sales increased by 1.0% in 2017. As per the report, GAAP EPS for Hershey came in at $3.66 and $4.76 when adjusted. The article continues to report that 2018 has not been any different for Hershey with its net sales posting an increment of 4.9% in the first quarter which was a bit higher than what the company experienced in 2017. However, there is a red flag and the article points one towards the acquisition of Amplify by Hershey. Apparently, this acquisition was funded by debt which has resulted in a negative...