StockNews.com Initiates Coverage on Hess (NYSE:HES)

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hess (NYSE:HES) in a research note published on Monday morning. The firm issued a hold rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

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

Hess Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of HES opened at $143.79 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.98 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $144.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.10. Hess has a 52 week low of $123.79 and a 52 week high of $163.98.

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

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hess

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Aegis Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hess in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $214,000. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH boosted its stake in shares of Hess by 449.6% in the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 9,497 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,263,000 after buying an additional 7,769 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Hess in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $21,162,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hess in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,995,000. Finally, Aurdan Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hess in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $347,000. 88.51% of the stock is currently 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.