SBI Securities Co. Ltd. Invests $49,000 in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 367 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $49,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Hess during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its holdings in Hess by 22.7% during the 3rd 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 shares of Hess by 59.8% in the 3rd 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 bought a new stake in shares of Hess in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC raised its position in shares of Hess by 157.2% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 355 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on HES. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hess in a research note on Monday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group increased their price target on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.60.

Hess Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of HES stock opened at $148.08 on Tuesday. Hess Co. has a 1 year low of $123.79 and a 1 year high of $163.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.65 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $144.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $140.03. 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 (NYSE:HES) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share 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%. As a group, research analysts expect that Hess Co. will post 8.08 EPS for the current year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Hess 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.