Hess (NYSE:HES) Now Covered by StockNews.com

Equities researchers at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hess (NYSE:HES) in a research report issued on Monday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

HES has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Citigroup upped their target price on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Six 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.60.

Hess Price Performance

Hess stock opened at $147.73 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12. Hess has a 52 week low of $123.79 and a 52 week high of $163.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $143.99 and a 200-day moving average of $139.94.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Hess had a return on equity of 26.32% and a net margin of 21.27%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Hess will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hess

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its position in shares of Hess by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 2,154 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $287,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hess by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,971 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $528,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Hess by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,266 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $444,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Hess by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,682 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hess by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,809 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. 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.