Feb 6 (Reuters) - Hershey forecast annual profit

below Wall Street estimates on Thursday as record cocoa prices

weigh on the Kit Kat maker's margins.

Packaged food companies including Hershey have had to raise

prices to combat high raw material costs, especially for cocoa,

whose prices nearly tripled in 2024.

Lower supply for a fourth consecutive season in West Africa

following dry weather is also said to impact prices.

Hershey's results also echoed that of larger rival

Mondelez ( MDLZ ), which forecast a bigger-than-estimated drop

in its annual profit, anticipating more pressure from surging

cocoa prices.

Hershey now forecasts 2025 adjusted earnings per share to be

between $6.00 and $6.18, well below analysts' expectations of

$7.34 per share, according to estimates compiled by LSEG.

Company CEO Michele Buck said she expects the surge in cocoa

prices to put "significant pressure on 2025 earnings."

Shares of the company, however, rose about 3% in premarket

trading after reporting better-than-expected fourth-quarter

results.

Hershey saw a rebound in demand with volumes rising 6% in

the quarter, mainly due to strength in its North America salty

snacks business. Overall prices remained high, rising 3% in the

quarter ended Dec. 31.

Its fourth-quarter sales rose nearly 9% to $2.89 billion

from a year ago, compared with estimates of $2.84 billion.

On an adjusted basis, the company earned $2.69 per share for

the quarter, beating expectations of $2.37 per share.