Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH Acquires 7,769 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH grew its holdings in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES - Free Report) by 449.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 9,497 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 7,769 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH's holdings in Hess were worth $1,263,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its stake in Hess by 225.6% during the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 293 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.51% of the company's stock.

Hess Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:HES traded down $1.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $132.32. The company had a trading volume of 3,570,806 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,791,178. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12. Hess Co. has a 1-year low of $123.79 and a 1-year high of $161.69. The firm has a market cap of $40.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.70 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $135.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.78.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.95 billion. Hess had a return on equity of 26.32% and a net margin of 21.27%. The firm's revenue was down 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.16 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 16th. Hess's dividend payout ratio is 27.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Susquehanna decreased their target price on Hess from $160.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Mizuho decreased their target price on Hess from $193.00 to $191.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. UBS Group decreased 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. Finally, Wall Street Zen started coverage on Hess in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $162.16.

Insider Activity at Hess

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,384,679 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $379,879,364.70. This trade represents a 6.84% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 9.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.