Hess (NYSE:HES) Price Target Raised to $186.00 at UBS Group

Hess (NYSE:HES) had its target price raised by UBS Group from $185.00 to $186.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

HES has been the subject of a number of other reports. StockNews.com began coverage on Hess in a report on Thursday, February 6th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Susquehanna raised their target price on Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hess has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.60.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of Hess stock opened at $145.81 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $140.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.90. Hess has a 1-year low of $123.79 and a 1-year high of $163.98. The company has a market cap of $44.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 1.17.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last issued 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 return on equity of 26.32% and a net margin of 21.27%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Hess will post 7.69 EPS for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.37%. Hess’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

Insider Activity at Hess

In other Hess news, CEO John B. Hess sold 125,000 shares of Hess stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 217,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,047,849.52. This trade represents a 36.45 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 9.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hess

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hess during the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,274,000. Czech National Bank lifted its position in shares of Hess by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 59,927 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $7,971,000 after buying an additional 3,625 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hess by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,213,574 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $169,767,000 after buying an additional 208,996 shares in the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hess during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,513,000. Finally, Maverick Capital Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Hess during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,052,000. 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.