Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) is Slotnik Capital LLC's 4th Largest Position

Slotnik Capital LLC increased its stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES - Free Report) by 7.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 167,700 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 11,300 shares during the period. Hess accounts for about 10.1% of Slotnik Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Slotnik Capital LLC owned about 0.05% of Hess worth $22,306,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Hess in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Hess during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its stake in Hess by 22.7% during the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 22,606 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 4,186 shares during the period. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hess in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hess in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.51% of the company's stock.

Hess Price Performance

NYSE HES traded down $14.49 on Friday, hitting $133.89. The company had a trading volume of 3,995,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,872,855. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $41.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.88 and a beta of 0.88. Hess Co. has a 12-month low of $123.79 and a 12-month high of $163.98. The company's fifty day moving average price is $148.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.66.

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Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 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%. As a group, analysts predict that Hess Co. 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 Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.49%. Hess's payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.