Aurora Investment Counsel Lowers Position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY)

Aurora Investment Counsel decreased its position in The Hershey Company (NYSE:HSY) by 77.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC boosted its holdings in Hershey by 218.2% during the second quarter. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC now owns 140 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Hershey by 55.0% during the second quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 155 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Hershey during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hershey during the first quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 57.96% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on HSY. Citigroup downgraded shares of Hershey from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $195.00 to $182.00 in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. 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 target price for the company. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Argus cut shares of Hershey from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Hershey from $195.00 to $180.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and fourteen have issued a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hershey presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $189.33.

Hershey Price Performance

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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $185.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $191.28. The company has a market cap of $35.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.05, a PEG ratio of 4.08 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.85.

Hershey Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, November 18th will be issued a $1.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 18th. This represents a $5.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. Hershey’s payout ratio is 63.13%.

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.