Hess (NYSE:HES) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) in a report released on Tuesday. The firm set a "hold" rating on the oil and gas producer's stock.

HES has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Hess from $157.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Hess from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Hess from $210.00 to $194.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Hess from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $163.30.

Hess Stock Performance

HES traded up $0.95 on Tuesday, reaching $146.33. The company had a trading volume of 1,434,646 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,088,649. Hess has a fifty-two week low of $123.79 and a fifty-two week high of $163.98. The stock has a market cap of $45.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.07 and a beta of 1.15. The company's fifty day moving average is $139.12 and its 200 day moving average is $142.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.26.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.26. Hess had a net margin of 20.58% and a return on equity of 27.41%. The firm had revenue of $3.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.96 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.64 EPS. The business's revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Hess will post 9.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Hess

In other news, SVP Geurt G. Schoonman sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.91, for a total transaction of $851,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 27,581 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,914,019.71. This trade represents a 17.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO John B. Hess sold 90,476 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.47, for a total transaction of $12,890,115.72. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 223,147 shares of the company's stock, valued at $31,791,753.09. The trade was a 28.85 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 314,370 shares of company stock valued at $45,856,309 in the last quarter. Insiders own 9.76% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hess

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in Hess by 4.0% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 19,830 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $2,693,000 after purchasing an additional 757 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Hess in the third quarter worth $232,000. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Hess by 1,584.8% in the third quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 7,413 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $1,007,000 after purchasing an additional 6,973 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank grew its holdings in Hess by 43.0% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 191,453 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $25,999,000 after purchasing an additional 57,546 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Hess by 1.1% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,537,162 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $884,709,000 after purchasing an additional 74,085 shares during the period. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.