Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Acquires New Position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI acquired a new stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,812 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $237,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in Hess during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,117,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hess during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,274,000. Czech National Bank raised its position in Hess by 6.4% during the 4th 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 last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its position in Hess by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 43,085 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $5,731,000 after buying an additional 1,861 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in Hess by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,213,574 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $169,767,000 after buying an additional 208,996 shares during the last quarter. 88.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hess Price Performance

Hess stock opened at $141.43 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $143.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $139.80. Hess Co. has a 1 year low of $123.79 and a 1 year high of $163.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.71 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.