Hess (NYSE:HES) Price Target Cut to $163.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Hess (NYSE:HES) had its price target trimmed by UBS Group from $170.00 to $163.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Scotiabank reduced their target price on Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hess in a report on Friday, April 11th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Pickering Energy Partners upgraded shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $166.26.

Hess Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:HES opened at $130.56 on Wednesday. Hess 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 firm has a market cap of $40.25 billion, a PE ratio of 14.51 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $145.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.29.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last released its 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 net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 26.32%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Hess will post 8.08 EPS 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 dividend yield of 1.53%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hess

In other Hess news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.30, for a total transaction of $27,877,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,384,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $379,879,364.70. The trade was a 6.84 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 9.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hess

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its position in shares of Hess by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 2,154 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Hess by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,809 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Hess by 18.0% during the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 629 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.51% 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.