Aurora Investment Counsel Sells 7,407 Shares of The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Aurora Investment Counsel decreased its holdings in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 77.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,170 shares of the company’s stock after selling 7,407 shares during the period. Aurora Investment Counsel’s holdings in Hershey were worth $416,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 30,461.7% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 573,643 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,100,130,000 after purchasing an additional 571,766 shares during the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Hershey by 297.9% in the second quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 717,831 shares of the company’s stock worth $131,959,000 after purchasing an additional 537,419 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new position in Hershey in the second quarter worth $82,123,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Hershey by 66.7% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 972,836 shares of the company’s stock worth $186,571,000 after purchasing an additional 389,404 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its holdings in Hershey by 1,194.0% in the second quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 249,347 shares of the company’s stock worth $45,837,000 after purchasing an additional 230,077 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Hershey Trading Up 2.2 %

Shares of Hershey stock opened at $174.00 on Thursday. The Hershey Company has a 1 year low of $168.16 and a 1 year high of $211.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $35.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.05, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s fifty day moving average is $185.50 and its two-hundred day moving average is $191.28.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.37 per share. This represents a $5.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. Hershey’s payout ratio is currently 63.13%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HSY has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group lowered shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $226.00 to $209.00 in a report on Monday, October 7th. Redburn Atlantic assumed coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. They issued a “sell” rating and a $165.00 price objective for the company. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Hershey from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $230.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Monday, October 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Hershey from $165.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, November 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Hershey in a research report on Monday, August 12th. They set a “sell” rating and a $185.00 price target for the company. Five analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have assigned a hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $189.33.

Hershey Company Profile

The Hershey Company, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of confectionery products and pantry items in the United States and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America Confectionery, North America Salty Snacks, and International. It offers chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery products; gum and mint refreshment products, including mints, chewing gums, and bubble gums; protein bars; pantry items, such as baking ingredients, toppings, beverages, and sundae syrups; and snack items comprising spreads, bars, snack bites, mixes, popcorn, and pretzels.