Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Shares Sold by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lowered its holdings in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES - Free Report) by 5.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,129,956 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 114,251 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.69% of Hess worth $283,305,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. USS Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Hess in the 4th quarter worth about $6,361,000. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of Hess by 26.1% during the 4th quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 176,600 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $23,490,000 after acquiring an additional 36,528 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Hess by 10.0% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 4,908 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $653,000 after acquiring an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of Hess by 13.0% in the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 22,410 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $2,981,000 after acquiring an additional 2,580 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Hess by 47.1% in the fourth quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 30,478 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $4,054,000 after purchasing an additional 9,758 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.51% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Hess

In other news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the company's 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,384,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $379,879,364.70. This represents a 6.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 9.10% of the company's stock.

Hess Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of HES stock traded down $0.01 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $131.35. The company's stock had a trading volume of 777,835 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,788,198. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.63 billion, a PE ratio of 14.59 and a beta of 0.61. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $137.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.04. Hess Co. has a 12-month low of $123.79 and a 12-month high of $161.69.

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

Hess Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.52%. Hess's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HES has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Hess from $193.00 to $191.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen initiated coverage on Hess in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. Susquehanna reduced their target price on Hess from $160.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Hess from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $162.16.

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.