UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Buys 4,323 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES - Free Report) by 21.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,121 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after acquiring an additional 4,323 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd's holdings in Hess were worth $3,208,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its position in Hess by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 2,154 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $287,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in Hess by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,971 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $528,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Hess by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,682 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hess by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,809 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $241,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in Hess by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 629 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. 88.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Hess Price Performance

NYSE:HES traded down $11.19 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $148.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,557,943 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,996,342. The company has a market capitalization of $45.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.54 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Hess Co. has a twelve month low of $123.79 and a twelve month high of $163.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $142.58.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Hess had a return on equity of 26.32% and a net margin of 21.27%. On average, analysts anticipate that Hess Co. will post 8.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Hess's dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Insider Transactions at Hess

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 owns 2,384,679 shares in the company, valued at $379,879,364.70. The trade was a 6.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.76% 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.