Samson Rock Capital LLP Purchases 21,850 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Samson Rock Capital LLP grew its position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 640,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,850 shares during the quarter. Hess comprises approximately 65.5% of Samson Rock Capital LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Samson Rock Capital LLP’s holdings in Hess were worth $85,126,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of HES. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Hess by 58.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,753,126 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $509,675,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391,311 shares in the last quarter. HBK Investments L P raised its stake in shares of Hess by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter. HBK Investments L P now owns 7,117,820 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $966,600,000 after buying an additional 1,017,720 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its holdings in shares of Hess by 31.0% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,318,822 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $450,696,000 after buying an additional 785,270 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hess in the third quarter valued at approximately $75,126,000. Finally, ING Groep NV grew its holdings in Hess by 267.8% during the third quarter. ING Groep NV now owns 533,264 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $72,417,000 after acquiring an additional 388,273 shares during the period. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO John B. Hess sold 92,894 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.80, for a total transaction of $13,729,733.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 229,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,914,927. This trade represents a 28.82 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 9.76% of the company’s stock.

Hess Stock Performance

HES stock opened at $142.99 on Friday. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $123.79 and a 1 year high of $163.98. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $140.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89 and a beta of 1.17.

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

Hess Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.40%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup upped their target price on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Hess from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hess currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.50.

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.