Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Shares Sold by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC reduced its holdings in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 14.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,023 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 167 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $136,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hess by 2.4% in 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 during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Hess by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,682 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Hess by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,809 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Hess by 6.6% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,577 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $214,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in Hess by 59.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 262 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. 88.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hess Trading Down 1.0 %

NYSE:HES opened at $145.42 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12. Hess Co. has a one year low of $123.79 and a one year high of $163.98. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $141.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $139.47. The stock has a market cap of $44.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.16 and a beta of 1.17.

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

Hess Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HES has been the subject of a number of research reports. Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on Hess in a research report on Saturday, February 22nd. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.60.

Hess 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.