Sapient Capital LLC Buys 199 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Sapient Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,867 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the quarter. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $514,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in Hess by 59.8% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 262 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Hess during the third quarter worth $37,000. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in Hess during the third quarter worth $48,000. LRI Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Hess by 157.2% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 355 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the period. Finally, Coastline Trust Co bought a new stake in Hess during the third quarter worth $55,000. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 92,894 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 229,465 shares in the company, valued at $33,914,927. The trade was a 28.82 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 9.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hess Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HES opened at $146.91 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $45.27 billion, a PE ratio of 16.32 and a beta of 1.17. Hess Co. has a fifty-two week low of $123.79 and a fifty-two week high of $163.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $140.21 and a 200-day moving average of $138.88.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hess Co. will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Hess’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HES has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Hess in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Hess from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Citigroup raised their target price on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hess currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.50.

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.