Hess (NYSE:HES) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

Investment analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) in a research report issued on Monday. The firm set a "hold" rating on the oil and gas producer's stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Hess from $160.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. UBS Group cut their price objective on Hess from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their target price on Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hess presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $164.46.

Hess Stock Up 2.0 %

HES opened at $132.33 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $40.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.70 and a beta of 0.61. Hess has a 12 month low of $123.79 and a 12 month high of $161.69. The business's 50-day moving average price is $141.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $141.76. 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 announced 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 net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 26.32%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.16 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Hess will post 8.08 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Hess

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.30, for a total transaction of $27,877,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,384,679 shares in the company, valued at $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 is available at the SEC website. 9.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hess

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HES. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Hess in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hess during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Hess by 106.2% during the 1st quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. now owns 200 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Hess in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hess in the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Hess

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.

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