Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Grows Stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES - Free Report) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 36,473 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,595 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.'s holdings in Hess were worth $4,851,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its position in shares of Hess by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 145,841 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $19,398,000 after buying an additional 12,634 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC increased its holdings in Hess by 454.1% in the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 18,669 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $2,483,000 after acquiring an additional 15,300 shares during the last quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hess in the 4th quarter worth $37,000. Burren Capital Advisors Ltd bought a new position in shares of Hess during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,414,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. grew its position in shares of Hess by 27.4% during the fourth quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 2,881 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $383,000 after purchasing an additional 620 shares in the last quarter. 88.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hess Price Performance

Hess stock opened at $143.79 on Thursday. Hess Co. has a 12-month low of $123.79 and a 12-month high of $163.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $144.77 and a 200-day moving average price of $140.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.33 billion, a PE ratio of 15.98 and a beta of 1.21.

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

Hess Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors 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 yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Hess's payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HES has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Hess from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group upped their price objective on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hess in a research report on Monday. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Six research 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, Hess currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.60.

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.

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