DRW Securities LLC Buys Shares of 3,009 Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

DRW Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,009 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $400,000.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HES has been the subject of a number of research reports. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Hess from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on shares of Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hess in a research note on Friday, April 11th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hess presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $166.26.

Hess Stock Performance

HES traded up $2.17 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $129.38. 404,436 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,072,037. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.38 and a beta of 0.88. Hess Co. has a 1-year low of $123.79 and a 1-year high of $163.98. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $146.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $142.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last announced 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.55%. Hess's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Insider Transactions at Hess

In other Hess news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the business's 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,384,679 shares in the company, valued at $379,879,364.70. The trade was a 6.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 9.76% of the company's stock.

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.