Zions Bancorporation N.A. Acquires 203 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. increased its stake in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 225.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 293 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A.’s holdings in Hess were worth $39,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Hess during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its position in shares of Hess by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 22,606 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 4,186 shares during the period. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hess during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hess during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hess Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE HES opened at $159.10 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $147.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $141.58. Hess Co. has a one year low of $123.79 and a one year high of $163.98. The firm has a market cap of $49.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.68 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on HES. Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup raised their price target 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. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Hess in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hess has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.60.

About Hess

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.