Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Shares Sold by ROI Financial Advisors LLC

ROI Financial Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 2,304 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 154 shares during the quarter. ROI Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $306,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new position in Hess during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment grew its position in Hess by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 22,606 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 4,186 shares in the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Hess during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hess during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Hess news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of Hess stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.30, for a total value of $27,877,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,384,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $379,879,364.70. The trade was a 6.84 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 9.76% of the company’s stock.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of HES opened at $133.89 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $123.79 and a 52-week high of $163.98. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $148.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.66. The company has a market capitalization of $41.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.88 and a beta of 0.88.

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

Hess Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HES has been the subject of a number of research reports. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com started coverage on Hess in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently 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.