Hershey's profit rises 18% in the second quarter

The Hershey Co. 's had 18% increase in second-quarter profit and record sales high. The company also adjusted its forecasts for the fiscal year.
The company's profit was $ 159,5 million or $ 0.70 per share, higher than the $ 135,7 million and $ 0.59 per share from the same period in 2012. The quarter also saw an increase of two cents a share tied to Project Next Century program and other services.
Already sales rose 6.7% to $ 1.51 billion, with an increase of 10% in prices over the past two years, but kept the sales volume reasonably well. But the embedded costs of key ingredients, like sugar, fell and the company has no more reasons for the increase in value.
For the year, the company expects revenue to be between $ 3.68 and $ 3.71 per share, up from $ 3.61 to $ 3.65 per share forecast from the beginning of the fiscal year. Sales should rise about 7% and dividends shall be 48 cents per share (before, the estimate was 42 cents).