2,612 Shares in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Purchased by Aurdan Capital Management LLC

Aurdan Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 2,612 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $347,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hess in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,117,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Hess during the 4th quarter valued at $2,274,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Hess by 4.7% during the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 82,703 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in Hess by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 43,085 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $5,731,000 after purchasing an additional 1,861 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Hess by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 333,056 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $44,300,000 after purchasing an additional 42,797 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.51% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hess

In other news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of Hess stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 27th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $379,879,364.70. The trade was a 6.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.10% of the company's stock.

Hess Stock Performance

Hess stock traded down $1.71 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $130.87. The company had a trading volume of 1,946,345 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,789,113. Hess Co. has a 52 week low of $123.79 and a 52 week high of $161.69. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $136.60 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.54 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.14). The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. Hess had a net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 26.32%. Hess's revenue was down 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.16 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. Hess's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on HES shares. Wall Street Zen started coverage on Hess in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. UBS Group lowered their price target on Hess from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. 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, April 11th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Hess from $160.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on Hess from $193.00 to $191.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $162.16.

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.