UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Boosts Stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 21.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,121 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 4,323 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Hess were worth $3,208,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in Hess by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 2,154 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hess by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,971 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $528,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the period. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in Hess by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,682 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $224,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hess by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,809 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in Hess by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 629 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Hess

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of Hess stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2,384,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $379,879,364.70. This trade represents a 6.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 9.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of 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 lifted their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com began coverage on Hess in a research note on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.60.

Hess Price Performance

Shares of HES stock opened at $158.48 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market capitalization of $48.86 billion, a PE ratio of 17.61 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $147.78 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.89. Hess Co. has a 12 month low of $123.79 and a 12 month high of $163.98.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. Analysts predict that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Hess’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

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.