Zacks Research Brokers Reduce Earnings Estimates for Hess

Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Hess in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, January 14th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the oil and gas producer will post earnings of $1.60 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.62. The consensus estimate for Hess’ current full-year earnings is $9.51 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hess’ Q2 2025 earnings at $1.65 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.86 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $6.81 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.92 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.06 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $7.92 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on HES. Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup boosted their price target on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Wolfe Research raised Hess from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, September 30th. Susquehanna lifted their price objective on shares of Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Hess in a research report on Monday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.50.

Hess Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:HES opened at $149.71 on Thursday. Hess has a fifty-two week low of $123.79 and a fifty-two week high of $163.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market cap of $46.13 billion, a PE ratio of 17.45 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $140.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $139.48.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.88 by $0.26. Hess had a net margin of 20.58% and a return on equity of 27.41%. The company had revenue of $3.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.34%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Hess’s payout ratio is 23.31%.

Insider Transactions at Hess

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 125,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.08, for a total transaction of $18,385,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 217,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,047,849.52. This trade represents a 36.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Geurt G. Schoonman sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $141.91, for a total transaction of $851,460.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 27,581 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,914,019.71. This represents a 17.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 314,370 shares of company stock valued at $45,856,309 in the last three months. 9.76% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hess

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Groupama Asset Managment increased its holdings in Hess by 22.7% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 22,606 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 4,186 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its position in Hess by 59.8% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 262 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hess during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Hess in the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Hess by 157.2% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 355 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. 88.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.