Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Shares Sold by TIAA Trust National Association

TIAA Trust National Association lessened its stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 3.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,198 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 582 shares during the quarter. TIAA Trust National Association’s holdings in Hess were worth $1,888,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of HES. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Hess during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its stake in Hess by 22.7% during the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 22,606 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 4,186 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Hess in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Hess during the third quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Hess Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE:HES opened at $160.39 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $49.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.82 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $123.79 and a 1 year high of $163.98. The business has a fifty day moving average of $147.45 and a 200-day moving average of $141.46.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. Equities analysts predict that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. Hess’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.