Hess (NYSE:HES) Price Target Raised to $164.00

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) had its price target hoisted by analysts at Susquehanna from $156.00 to $164.00 in a research report issued on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the oil and gas producer's stock. Susquehanna's target price suggests a potential upside of 4.97% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Hess from $172.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho upped their price objective on Hess from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Hess in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. They set a "sell" rating on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hess currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $177.42.

Hess Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:HES traded up $1.88 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $156.23. 1,806,202 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,580,471. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.96. Hess has a 12 month low of $124.27 and a 12 month high of $167.75. The company has a market cap of $48.13 billion, a PE ratio of 34.72 and a beta of 1.27. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $149.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.83.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.43 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.76 billion. Hess had a return on equity of 17.00% and a net margin of 12.98%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.78 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hess will post 8.32 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Hess news, COO Gregory P. Hill sold 56,925 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.35, for a total value of $8,330,973.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 78,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,457,302.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, COO Gregory P. Hill sold 56,925 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.35, for a total transaction of $8,330,973.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 78,287 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,457,302.45. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Andrew P. Slentz sold 1,062 shares of Hess stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.52, for a total value of $153,480.24. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 50,215 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,257,071.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 155,798 shares of company stock worth $22,811,166. 9.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hess

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HES. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hess during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hess in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Hess during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hess during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Hess in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by 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.