Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $170.60.

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HES. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. UBS Group raised their price target 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. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Hess in a report on Saturday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock.

Hess Trading Down 2.0 %

NYSE HES opened at $147.96 on Monday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $140.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Hess has a 12 month low of $123.79 and a 12 month high of $163.98. The company has a market capitalization of $45.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.44 and a beta of 1.17.

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

Hess Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hess

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new position in Hess during the 3rd quarter worth about $92,000. Creative Planning lifted its position in Hess by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 19,369 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,630,000 after buying an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in Hess by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 29,357 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $3,987,000 after buying an additional 1,070 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its position in Hess by 39.9% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 3,184 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $432,000 after buying an additional 908 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Stonegate Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in Hess during the 3rd quarter worth about $319,000. 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.