Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. Sells 3,704 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. decreased its stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES - Free Report) by 33.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,270 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 3,704 shares during the period. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Hess were worth $967,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Hess in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hess during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Hess in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hess in the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Hess by 225.6% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 293 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.51% of the company's stock.

Hess Stock Performance

NYSE:HES opened at $132.43 on Monday. 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 twelve month low of $123.79 and a twelve month high of $163.98. The stock has a market cap of $40.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.71 and a beta of 0.88. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $143.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $142.00.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Hess Co. will post 8.08 EPS for the current year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were given 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 1.51%. Hess's dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hess news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.30, for a total value of $27,877,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,384,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $379,879,364.70. This represents a 6.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 9.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on HES shares. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Scotiabank lowered their target price on Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Hess from $160.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. StockNews.com began coverage on Hess in a research note on Sunday. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price objective on Hess from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hess currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $164.46.

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.

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