one8zero8 LLC Makes New Investment in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

one8zero8 LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 5,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $665,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in Hess by 134.6% during the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 6,143 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $834,000 after acquiring an additional 3,524 shares in the last quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Hess during the 3rd quarter valued at about $496,000. Huntington National Bank grew its position in shares of Hess by 12.1% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,011 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $273,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hess by 10.6% in the third quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 11,871 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,612,000 after purchasing an additional 1,137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Hess by 8.2% in the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 41,224 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $5,598,000 after buying an additional 3,141 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on HES shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Hess in a research note on Monday, March 10th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Six equities 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.com, Hess has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.60.

Hess Stock Performance

HES stock opened at $148.21 on Monday. Hess Co. has a twelve month low of $123.79 and a twelve month high of $163.98. The firm has a market cap of $45.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.47 and a beta of 1.21. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $145.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72.

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

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.35%. Hess’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

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.