ROI Financial Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

ROI Financial Advisors LLC cut its holdings in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 6.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,304 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 154 shares during the quarter. ROI Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $306,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Hess by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 33,141,244 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,408,117,000 after purchasing an additional 296,406 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hess by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,695,533 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $888,240,000 after buying an additional 158,371 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Hess by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,844,257 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $511,325,000 after buying an additional 91,131 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Hess by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,498,458 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $465,330,000 after purchasing an additional 179,636 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its position in Hess by 46.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,930,509 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $389,787,000 after buying an additional 927,093 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of Hess stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.30, for a total transaction of $27,877,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,384,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $379,879,364.70. The trade was a 6.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 9.76% of the company’s stock.

Hess Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HES opened at $133.89 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.88 and a beta of 0.88. Hess Co. has a 52 week low of $123.79 and a 52 week high of $163.98. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $148.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.66. 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 (NYSE:HES) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 26.32% and a net margin of 21.27%. On average, equities analysts predict that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on HES shares. Citigroup increased their price objective 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. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hess in a report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. 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 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 research note on Monday, December 9th. Six 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 a consensus target price 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.