Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) is Symmetry Investments LP's 2nd Largest Position

Symmetry Investments LP increased its stake in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES - Free Report) by 154.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,381,076 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after buying an additional 837,662 shares during the quarter. Hess comprises 9.6% of Symmetry Investments LP's holdings, making the stock its 2nd largest position. Symmetry Investments LP owned 0.45% of Hess worth $183,697,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HES. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hess by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 2,154 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $287,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Hess by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,971 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $528,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hess by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,682 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Hess by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,809 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its stake in shares of Hess by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 629 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.51% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was 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 directly 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hess Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of HES opened at $130.40 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.20 billion, a PE ratio of 14.49 and a beta of 0.88. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $144.46 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.13. Hess Co. has a 1 year low of $123.79 and a 1 year high of $163.98.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Hess had a net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 26.32%. Analysts forecast that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. Hess's payout ratio is 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HES has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Hess from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Hess from $160.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. StockNews.com began coverage on Hess in a report on Saturday. They set a "hold" rating for the company. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded shares of Hess to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Six 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 presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $164.46.

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.

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