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

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Hess (NYSE:HES - Free Report) in a research note released on Wednesday. The firm issued a sell rating on the oil and gas producer's stock.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Hess from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Hess from $152.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Hess from $169.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $176.67.

Hess Stock Performance

HES stock traded up $0.54 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $150.80. 1,278,166 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,612,592. The firm has a market cap of $46.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.64 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $149.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $146.73. Hess has a 1-year low of $124.27 and a 1-year high of $167.75.

Hess (NYSE:HES - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.20. Hess had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 17.00%. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.78 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Hess will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 18th were paid a dividend of $0.4375 per share. This represents a $1.75 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.16%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 15th. Hess's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hess news, EVP Timothy B. Goodell sold 2,701 shares of Hess stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $144.52, for a total transaction of $390,348.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 162,144 shares of the company's stock, valued at $23,433,050.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Geurt G. Schoonman sold 13,921 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.08, for a total value of $2,103,184.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 33,581 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,073,417.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy B. Goodell sold 2,701 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $144.52, for a total transaction of $390,348.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 162,144 shares in the company, valued at $23,433,050.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 155,798 shares of company stock valued at $22,811,166 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 9.76% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hess

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Hess during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Hess during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Hess during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Hess during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC acquired a new stake in Hess during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.