Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Shares Acquired by Cerity Partners LLC

Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 20,401 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,539 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $2,740,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hess during the fourth quarter worth about $3,117,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,274,000. Czech National Bank increased its position in Hess by 6.4% during the fourth 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 during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Hess by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,838,079 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $244,483,000 after buying an additional 82,703 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of Hess by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 43,085 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,731,000 after acquiring an additional 1,861 shares during the period. 88.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on HES shares. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hess in a research report on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $168.56.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,384,679 shares in the company, valued at $379,879,364.70. The trade was a 6.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 9.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hess Stock Down 0.5 %

Hess stock opened at $127.80 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $146.37 and its 200 day moving average price is $142.59. The company has a market cap of $39.40 billion, a PE ratio of 14.20 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Hess Co. has a 1-year low of $123.79 and a 1-year high of $163.98.

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

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

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.