Financial Analysis: Hershey Corp. & Tootsie Roll Industries Essay

Tootsie Roll’s simple strategy is to be (and remain) a top-quality producer and distributor of Tootsie Rolls and other candy products, in an industry where it currently has 2 to 3 percent of market share. Specifically, the company has determined to specialize, almost entirely, in hard candies (such as Tootsie Pops and Blow Pops) and chewy candies (such as Tootsie Roll, Frooties and Flavor Roll), and it currently maintains a 50 percent market share in this unique segment. The success of Tootsie Roll in the U.S. for the past 19 years is attributable to the strong consumer awareness of the company’s brand name and brand loyalty. Over time, Tootsie Roll has neither diluted the quality of its products nor failed to

Fierce competition in the confectionery industry means Tootsie Roll must innovate in order to maintain strong sales. The company does so by reinvesting in its operating assets and creating new products. In 2013, Tootsie Rolls spent $16 million upgrading plant equipment and added Cry Baby Chews, Naughty or Nice Pops, and Andes Creme de Menthe Trees to its product line. Special promotions aimed at the company’s high volume customers also boosted sales.

1. Liquidity ratios are a class of financial metrics that is used to determine a company's ability to pay off its short-terms debts obligations. Generally, the higher the value of the ratio, the larger the margin of safety that the company possesses to cover short-term debts.

Finished goods inventory is the finished Tootsie Roll ® candies’ inventory value after they have been created, wrapped, packaged, and are ready to be sold. The total value of inventory at Tootsie Roll on December 31, 2015 was $62.263 million.

This means that for every dollar of liabilities, Tootsie Roll Company has $3.50 or $3.10 in current assets. In both instances, the current ratio is more than 1, so the company will have very little trouble with liquidity should the need arise.

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. has been engaged in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products for 113 years. Our products are primarily sold under the familiar brand names: Tootsie Roll, Tootsie Roll Pops, Caramel Apple Pops, Child’s Play, Charms, Blow Pop, Blue Razz, Cella’s chocolate covered cherries, Tootsie Dots, Tootsie Crows, Junior Mints, Junior Caramels, Charleston Chew, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Babies, Andes, Fluffy Stuff cotton candy, Dubble Bubble, Razzles, Cry Baby, Nik-L-Nip and EI Bubble.

Hershey Foods inventory ratio is 4.80 and days in inventory are 76 days. As for Tootsie Roll Industries the inventory ratio 4.5 and days in inventory is 81 days. Both represents that management is not reducing the amount of inventory compare to sales. Overall, Hershey Foods is better of then Tootsie Roll.

Since the company’s establishment in 1896, Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. has expanded to become one of the biggest candy companies in the United States. Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. is one of America’s most recognized candy companies through manufacturing and selling some of the most popular candies in the world. The company has an extensive amount of products sold in many venues including grocery stores, vending machines, and drugstores. Tootsie Roll Industries Inc. applies innovation consistently by developing new forms of presentation and creating more options for the consumer. In the first quarter of 2011

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc., a niche candy maker, has often been voted one of Forbes magazine’s “200 Best Small Companies of America.” A top quality producer and distributor of Tootsie Rolls and other candy, Tootsie Roll Industries maintains a 50% market share of the taffy and lollipop segment of the candy industry, and sales have increased each year for the past nineteen years. The world’s largest

This strategy of acquiring and improving upon unique brands helps the company avoid the first pitfall of utilizing a differentiation strategy as brands cannot be easily or quickly copied. However, the obsession with reputable and older, recognized brands makes this maneuvering come off as defensive. Coupled with Tootsie Roll’s lack of recent innovation both in products and marketing, as well as staying within the confectionary industry and not making attempts to experiment outside of this sector, causes the company to seem antiquated and

Tootsie Roll’s highest selling period was Halloween (which is common for most candy manufacturers) and focused on promotional programs to target consumers. Also, they changed up their packaging to adapt to the trends of the consumers and catch their eyes.

Overall Tootsie Roll has better liquidity. Liquidity measures the short-term ability to pay obligations as they are expected to be due within the next year.

When looking at profitability from 2006 to 2007, the ratios show that performance suffered. Profit margin, return on assets, and earnings per share have all dropped. However, net cash provided by operations exceeds 2006 amounts and almost matches that of 2005. Taking all of these ratios into account, Tootsie Roll’s financial standing is strong but could be improved by taking on a loan and investing wisely.

Liquidity represents a company’s ability to pay its short-term obligations. In the following schedule is the calculation of the ratios that are indicators of the liquidity position of a company.

Ten years ago the Hershey Trust Company, who was a major shareholder in the Hershey Corporation, was advised that in order to ensure