Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $27.57 Million Holdings in Hess Corporation (NYSE:HES)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in shares of Hess Corporation (NYSE:HES - Free Report) by 8.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 172,578 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after buying an additional 13,478 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.06% of Hess worth $27,566,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Hess in the 1st quarter valued at about $580,000. Choreo LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hess by 7.7% in the 1st quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 4,296 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $686,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the period. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its holdings in shares of Hess by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 21,378 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $3,414,000 after purchasing an additional 895 shares during the period. 1ST Source Bank acquired a new position in shares of Hess in the 1st quarter valued at about $207,000. Finally, Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hess by 14.9% in the 1st quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 22,092 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $3,529,000 after purchasing an additional 2,857 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.51% of the company's stock.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HES traded up $11.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $160.31. 104,703 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,867,605. Hess Corporation has a 1-year low of $123.79 and a 1-year high of $161.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 0.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.17 and a beta of 0.62. The company's 50-day moving average price is $141.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.12.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.81 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.14). Hess had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 17.65%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.16 EPS. Hess's revenue for the quarter was down 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Hess Corporation will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. Hess's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Hess from $160.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Hess from $193.00 to $184.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen raised Hess from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Hess from $146.58 to $155.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Hess from $193.00 to $191.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $162.78.

Insider Activity at Hess

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 250,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.01, for a total value of $34,002,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,734,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $235,933,690.79. This represents a 12.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.10% of the company's stock.

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.