Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Holdings Raised by Outfitter Financial LLC

Outfitter Financial LLC increased its stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 76.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,055 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,410 shares during the quarter. Hess makes up 1.8% of Outfitter Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Outfitter Financial LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $2,268,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hess by 3.6% in the fourth quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,384 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $450,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. ING Groep NV grew its position in Hess by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 652,900 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $86,842,000 after purchasing an additional 119,636 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp grew its position in Hess by 259.0% during the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 305,880 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $40,685,000 after purchasing an additional 220,680 shares in the last quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund raised its stake in Hess by 23.1% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 10,073 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,340,000 after purchasing an additional 1,890 shares during the period. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hess in the fourth quarter valued at $163,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded Hess to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Hess in a report on Friday, February 14th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.60.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of HES opened at $151.19 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $46.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s fifty day moving average is $140.87 and its 200-day moving average is $139.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Hess Co. has a 12 month low of $123.79 and a 12 month high of $163.98.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last posted its 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 net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 26.32%. Equities analysts expect that Hess Co. will post 8.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. Hess’s payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

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.