Maven Securities LTD Grows Holdings in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Maven Securities LTD raised its stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES - Free Report) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 83,097 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after purchasing an additional 5,499 shares during the quarter. Hess accounts for 0.3% of Maven Securities LTD's portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest position. Maven Securities LTD's holdings in Hess were worth $11,053,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hess in the 4th quarter worth $3,117,000. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hess during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,274,000. Czech National Bank raised its position in shares of Hess by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 59,927 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $7,971,000 after purchasing an additional 3,625 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hess by 4.7% in the fourth 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 acquiring an additional 82,703 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Hess by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 43,085 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $5,731,000 after acquiring an additional 1,861 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.51% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Hess

In other news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $379,879,364.70. The trade was a 6.84% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on HES shares. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on shares of Hess from $160.00 to $136.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. StockNews.com began coverage on Hess in a research note on Tuesday. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on Hess from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $164.46.

Hess Stock Up 2.0%

HES stock opened at $135.03 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.77 billion, a PE ratio of 15.00 and a beta of 0.61. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $140.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.44. 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 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). The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.95 billion. Hess had a return on equity of 26.32% and a net margin of 21.27%. Hess's revenue was down 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.16 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.48%. Hess's dividend payout ratio is 27.66%.

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.

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