Susquehanna Lowers Hess (NYSE:HES) Price Target to $136.00

Hess (NYSE:HES - Free Report) had its target price lowered by Susquehanna from $160.00 to $136.00 in a report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the oil and gas producer's stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on HES. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com began coverage on Hess in a research note on Saturday, April 19th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, UBS Group reduced their target price on Hess from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $164.46.

Hess Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE HES traded down $0.23 on Tuesday, hitting $132.16. The company had a trading volume of 199,386 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,034,711. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Hess has a 12-month low of $123.79 and a 12-month high of $163.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.69 and a beta of 0.88. The business has a 50 day moving average of $143.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.00.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts forecast that Hess will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Hess's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hess

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.30, for a total value of $27,877,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,384,679 shares in the company, valued at $379,879,364.70. This trade represents a 6.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 9.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HES. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Hess during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Hess during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its position in shares of Hess by 106.2% during the 1st quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 200 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 103 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hess in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Hess in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $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.