Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Shares Acquired by Korea Investment CORP

Korea Investment CORP raised its holdings in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 28.9% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 290,180 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 65,007 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in Hess were worth $38,597,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Hess in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment raised its position in shares of Hess by 22.7% during the 3rd 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 period. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Hess in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Hess in the third quarter valued at $37,000. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hess Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Hess stock opened at $159.10 on Friday. Hess Co. has a 12-month low of $123.79 and a 12-month high of $163.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.68 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $147.64 and its 200-day moving average is $141.58.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Hess had a return on equity of 26.32% and a net margin of 21.27%. Equities analysts anticipate that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Hess 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.