New York Life Investment Management LLC Purchases 288 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

New York Life Investment Management LLC raised its position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,159 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 288 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $4,943,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Hess in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 4,186 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Hess by 59.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 262 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hess during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hess by 157.2% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 355 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. 88.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hess Stock Performance

NYSE HES opened at $149.04 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $142.65 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Hess Co. has a 12-month low of $123.79 and a 12-month high of $163.98. The firm has a market cap of $45.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.56 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, 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%. On average, equities analysts forecast that Hess Co. will post 8.08 EPS for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued 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 dividend yield of 1.34%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on HES. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hess in a report on Saturday, February 22nd. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company 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.