Hess (NYSE:HES) Price Target Raised to $186.00

Hess (NYSE:HES) had its price objective boosted by UBS Group from $185.00 to $186.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

HES has been the topic of several other reports. Susquehanna lifted their price target on shares of Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Hess in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hess presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.60.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of Hess stock opened at $146.65 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market cap of $45.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.29 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $140.34 and its 200-day moving average is $138.93. Hess has a one year low of $123.79 and a one year high of $163.98.

Hess (NYSE:HES) 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 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%. Equities analysts predict that Hess will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.22%.

Insider Transactions at Hess

In other news, CEO John B. Hess sold 92,894 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.80, for a total value of $13,729,733.20. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 229,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $33,914,927. The trade was 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. Corporate insiders own 9.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hess

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in shares of Hess during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Hess during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment raised its holdings in Hess by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 22,606 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 4,186 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hess during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Hess by 59.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 262 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

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.