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HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — Hershey's fourth-quarter profit beat analysts' estimates, but its revenue fell short of Wall Street expectations due to soft demand in China. The chocolate bar and candy maker earned $213.4 million, or 98 cents per share, for the period ended Dec. 31. A year earlier the Hershey, Pennsylvania-based company earned $202.5 million, or 91 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs and costs related to mergers and acquisitions, came to $1.08 per share. The results exceeded Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.05 per share. Revenue dropped to $1.91 billion from $2.01 billion as sales fell in China. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected higher revenue of $1.97 billion. For the year, Hershey Co. reported an adjusted profit of $4.12 per share, on revenue of $7.39 billion. The company expects 2016 earnings in the range of $4.36 to $4.38 per share. Analysts surveyed by FactSet predict $4.39 per share. Hershey shares rose 57 cents to $85 in midday trading Thursday. Its shares have fallen more than 20 percent over the past year. _____ Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on HSY at http://www.zacks.com/ap/HSY _____ Keywords: Hershey, Earnings Report

Hershey 4Q results mixed, demand softens in China