Hershey (HSY) stock surged 5.54% in the pre-market session on Thursday, as the confectionery giant reported strong fourth-quarter earnings that surpassed Wall Street expectations.

The company posted adjusted earnings per share of $2.69, comfortably beating the consensus estimate of $2.37. Revenue for the quarter came in at $2.89 billion, exceeding analysts' expectations of $2.84 billion. The robust performance was driven by solid demand for Hershey's products, particularly in its North American salty snacks segment.

While Hershey's full-year 2025 earnings guidance range of $6.00 to $6.18 per share fell short of analysts' estimates, investors seem to be focusing on the company's positive outlook for continued sales growth and operational improvements. The confectionery giant expects sales to grow by at least 2% in 2025, fueled by pricing actions and strategic initiatives to mitigate the impact of rising cocoa prices and other commodity cost pressures.