Hess (NYSE:HES) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hess (NYSE:HES) in a research report released on Tuesday. The firm issued a hold rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on HES. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.60.

Hess Trading Up 0.7 %

HES opened at $157.40 on Tuesday. Hess has a twelve month low of $123.79 and a twelve month high of $163.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a fifty day moving average of $146.45 and a 200-day moving average of $140.66. The stock has a market cap of $48.53 billion, a PE ratio of 17.49 and a beta of 1.21.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Hess had a net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 26.32%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hess will post 8.08 EPS for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Hess’s payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HES. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Hess during the third quarter valued at about $496,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Hess by 19.1% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 16,369 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,224,000 after purchasing an additional 2,630 shares in the last quarter. Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of Hess by 0.5% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 823,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $111,763,000 after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares in the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hess by 2.4% during the third quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,266 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Finally, B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Hess during the third quarter valued at about $2,577,000. 88.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hess Company Profile

Hess Corporation, an exploration and production company, explores, develops, produces, purchases, transports, and sells crude oil, natural gas liquids (NGLs), and natural gas. The company operates in two segments, Exploration and Production, and Midstream. It conducts production operations primarily in the United States, Guyana, the Malaysia/Thailand Joint Development Area, and Malaysia; and exploration activities principally offshore Guyana, the U.S.