Hess (NYSE:HES) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

Hess (NYSE:HES - Free Report) had its price objective increased by UBS Group from $185.00 to $186.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas producer's stock.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Hess from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hess in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $170.60.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HES traded up $0.80 during trading on Thursday, reaching $146.65. 1,650,445 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,013,066. The firm has a market cap of $45.18 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29 and a beta of 1.17. 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 12 month low of $123.79 and a 12 month high of $163.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $140.34 and a 200-day moving average price of $138.74.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Research analysts expect that Hess will post 7.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Hess's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 92,894 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.80, for a total transaction of $13,729,733.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 229,465 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $33,914,927. This trade represents a 28.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 9.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hess

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HES. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter worth about $2,274,000. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Hess by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 59,927 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $7,971,000 after buying an additional 3,625 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hess by 20.8% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,213,574 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $169,767,000 after acquiring an additional 208,996 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC boosted its holdings in Hess by 34.1% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 19,235 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $2,558,000 after acquiring an additional 4,891 shares during the period. Finally, Paragon Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in Hess in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,513,000. 88.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.