Brokerages Set Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) PT at $177.42

Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the ten analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $177.42.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on HES shares. Piper Sandler increased their price objective 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 target on Hess from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. StockNews.com began coverage on Hess in a report on Thursday. They issued a “sell” rating for the company. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price target on Hess from $156.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, April 22nd.

Hess Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HES opened at $162.53 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $147.22. Hess has a 1-year low of $124.27 and a 1-year high of $167.75. The firm has a market cap of $50.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.89 and a beta of 1.27. 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 (NYSE:HES) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas producer reported $3.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.73 by $1.43. Hess had a return on equity of 22.73% and a net margin of 17.41%. The business had revenue of $3.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.98 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.13 earnings per share. Hess’s revenue was up 36.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Hess will post 8.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Hess

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 73,885 shares of Hess stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.87, for a total transaction of $10,777,604.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 138,718 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,234,794.66. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Hess news, COO Gregory P. Hill sold 56,925 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.35, for a total transaction of $8,330,973.75. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 78,287 shares in the company, valued at $11,457,302.45. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO John B. Hess sold 73,885 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.87, for a total value of $10,777,604.95. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 138,718 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,234,794.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 155,798 shares of company stock valued at $22,811,166. Company insiders own 9.76% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hess

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Hess during the third quarter valued at about $26,000. Pacific Capital Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hess in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hess in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hess in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hess in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

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.