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

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hess (NYSE:HES) in a report issued on Thursday. The firm issued a sell rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Hess from $172.00 to $173.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Mizuho raised 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, Susquehanna boosted their target price on Hess from $156.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $177.42.

Hess Price Performance

HES opened at $162.53 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. Hess has a 1 year low of $124.27 and a 1 year high of $167.75. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $151.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $147.22. The stock has a market cap of $50.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.89 and a beta of 1.27.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas producer reported $3.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.73 by $1.43. The firm had revenue of $3.34 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.98 billion. Hess had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 17.41%. The firm’s revenue was up 36.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.13 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Hess will post 8.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 18th were paid a $0.4375 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 15th. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. Hess’s payout ratio is 26.80%.

Insider Activity at Hess

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hess

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Spire Wealth Management increased its position in Hess by 30.7% in the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 319 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its stake in shares of Hess by 17.9% during the first quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 507 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in Hess by 10.3% in the first quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 855 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $131,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Inc. OK boosted its stake in Hess by 5.4% in the third quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 1,584 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Hess by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,527 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $691,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Hess Company 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.