Hess (NYSE:HES) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hess (NYSE:HES - Free Report) in a research report report published on Tuesday. The brokerage issued a hold rating on the oil and gas producer's stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wolfe Research raised Hess from a "peer perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $150.00 price target for the company in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Susquehanna upped their target price on Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Hess from $155.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Hess from $157.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $170.50.

Hess Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of HES stock traded down $2.84 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $148.51. 3,767,304 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,062,459. The stock has a market cap of $45.76 billion, a PE ratio of 17.31 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $140.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.45. Hess has a 1 year low of $123.79 and a 1 year high of $163.98.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business 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. Hess's revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Hess will post 9.49 EPS for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Hess's payout ratio is 23.31%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hess

In related news, SVP Geurt G. Schoonman sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.91, for a total value of $851,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 27,581 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,914,019.71. This represents a 17.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John B. Hess sold 90,476 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.47, for a total transaction of $12,890,115.72. Following the sale, 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 have sold a total of 314,370 shares of company stock valued at $45,856,309 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 9.76% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HES. Groupama Asset Managment increased its position in Hess by 22.7% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 22,606 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 4,186 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Hess by 59.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 262 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hess during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Hess during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Hess by 157.2% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 355 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.51% of the company's stock.

About Hess

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.