Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Receives $170.60 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $170.60.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HES. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Hess in a report on Friday, February 14th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Hess from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price 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.

Hess Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE HES traded up $1.92 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $151.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,023,736 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,953,813. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $123.79 and a fifty-two week high of $163.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.80 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $140.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $138.92.

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

Hess Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Hess's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Insider Transactions at Hess

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 92,894 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.80, for a total value of $13,729,733.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 229,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at $33,914,927. The trade was a 28.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 9.76% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Hess in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Covestor Ltd raised its stake in Hess by 59.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 262 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hess during the third quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.51% 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.