Samson Rock Capital LLP Reduces Stock Holdings in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Samson Rock Capital LLP trimmed its position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 11.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 618,150 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 77,263 shares during the period. Hess comprises 85.2% of Samson Rock Capital LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its biggest position. Samson Rock Capital LLP owned approximately 0.20% of Hess worth $83,945,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Hess by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 5,102 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $779,000 after purchasing an additional 68 shares during the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Hess by 1.6% during the second quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,599 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $678,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC raised its position in Hess by 7.3% in the second quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,074 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $158,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its position in Hess by 17.9% in the first quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 507 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $77,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in Hess by 16.9% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 540 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. 88.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of HES opened at $137.34 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Hess Co. has a 12-month low of $123.79 and a 12-month high of $167.75. The company has a market cap of $42.32 billion, a PE ratio of 21.03 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $135.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $146.12.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $2.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $3.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. Hess had a return on equity of 27.43% and a net margin of 21.22%. The company’s revenue was up 40.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.65 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Hess Co. will post 10.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This is a boost from Hess’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.46%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 16th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on HES shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hess in a report on Wednesday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. UBS Group lowered their target price on Hess from $192.00 to $173.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Citigroup cut their price target on Hess from $160.00 to $145.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Hess from $210.00 to $194.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Hess from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 target price on the stock in a report on Monday, September 30th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hess presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $165.15.

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.