Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Shares Acquired by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. lifted its stake in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,540 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 185 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Hess were worth $2,599,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in HES. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Hess by 58.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,753,126 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $509,675,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391,311 shares during the period. HBK Investments L P increased its position in Hess by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. HBK Investments L P now owns 7,117,820 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $966,600,000 after acquiring an additional 1,017,720 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Hess by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,930,509 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $389,787,000 after acquiring an additional 927,093 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in Hess by 31.0% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,318,822 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $450,696,000 after acquiring an additional 785,270 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Hess in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $75,126,000. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HES has been the topic of several analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Hess in a research report on Monday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup raised their target price on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.60.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HES opened at $147.73 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $143.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $139.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market cap of $45.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41 and a beta of 1.21. Hess Co. has a 1 year low of $123.79 and a 1 year high of $163.98.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Hess had a return on equity of 26.32% and a net margin of 21.27%. Research analysts forecast that Hess Co. will post 8.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

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.