Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Estimate for Hess Earnings

Hess Corporation (NYSE:HES - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Hess in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, July 9th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the oil and gas producer will post earnings of $1.64 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.67. The consensus estimate for Hess' current full-year earnings is $8.08 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hess' Q2 2026 earnings at $1.68 EPS.

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 company had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.16 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 12.1% on a year-over-year basis.

HES has been the subject of several other research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Hess from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Scotiabank dropped their target price on shares of Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Hess from $193.00 to $184.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 26th. 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 research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Hess from $147.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Hess presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $162.86.

Hess Stock Performance

HES stock opened at $152.12 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $137.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.05 billion, a PE ratio of 21.04 and a beta of 0.62. Hess has a fifty-two week low of $123.79 and a fifty-two week 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.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HES. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich bought a new stake in shares of Hess in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Global X Japan Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Hess by 106.2% in the first 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 in the last quarter. Capital Analysts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hess by 367.4% in the first quarter. Capital Analysts LLC now owns 201 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hess in the first quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, IMA Advisory Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hess in the first quarter valued at about $36,000. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hess news, CEO John B. Hess sold 250,000 shares of Hess stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.01, for a total transaction of $34,002,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,734,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $235,933,690.79. The trade was a 12.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 9.10% of the company's stock.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 16th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.31%. Hess's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.66%.

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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