UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Hess (NYSE:HES) Stock Price

Hess (NYSE:HES) had its target price increased by equities researchers at UBS Group from $185.00 to $186.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 28.19% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Hess in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. 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. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.60.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of HES traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $145.09. 150,323 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,954,125. The company has a market cap of $44.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.12 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $140.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.90. Hess has a twelve month low of $123.79 and a twelve month high of $163.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last posted 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, sell-side analysts expect that Hess will post 7.69 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Hess news, CEO John B. Hess sold 125,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.08, for a total transaction of $18,385,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 217,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,047,849.52. The trade was a 36.45 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.76% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hess

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