Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Shares Sold by Moran Wealth Management LLC

Moran Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,625 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 275 shares during the quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $748,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of HES. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in shares of Hess by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 145,841 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $19,398,000 after purchasing an additional 12,634 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its holdings in Hess by 454.1% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 18,669 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,483,000 after buying an additional 15,300 shares in the last quarter. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Hess during the fourth quarter worth approximately $37,000. Burren Capital Advisors Ltd acquired a new position in Hess in the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,414,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Hess by 27.4% in the fourth quarter. HM Payson & Co. now owns 2,881 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $383,000 after buying an additional 620 shares in the last quarter. 88.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Hess Stock Down 2.6 %

Hess stock opened at $144.34 on Wednesday. Hess Co. has a twelve month low of $123.79 and a twelve month high of $163.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market cap of $44.50 billion, a PE ratio of 16.04 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $144.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.07.

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

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.39%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is 22.22%.

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.