Uniting Wealth Partners LLC Invests $1.03 Million in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Uniting Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 7,750 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $1,031,000. Hess accounts for about 0.5% of Uniting Wealth Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Hess during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Hess in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its position in shares of Hess by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 22,606 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 4,186 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought 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 during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Institutional investors own 88.51% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on HES shares. 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 report on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Hess in a research report on Thursday. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. UBS Group increased their target price on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Pickering Energy Partners upgraded Hess to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $170.60.

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Insider Activity at Hess

In other Hess news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,384,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $379,879,364.70. The trade was a 6.84 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 9.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hess Stock Down 9.8 %

Hess stock traded down $14.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $133.89. The company had a trading volume of 3,995,195 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,872,855. Hess Co. has a 12 month low of $123.79 and a 12 month high of $163.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $148.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $142.74. The company has a market capitalization of $41.28 billion, a PE ratio of 14.88 and a beta of 0.88.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Hess had a net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 26.32%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. Hess's payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Hess 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.