StockNews.com Initiates Coverage on Hess (NYSE:HES)

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Hess (NYSE:HES) in a research note issued on Wednesday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

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

Hess Stock Up 0.7 %

NYSE:HES opened at $158.51 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Hess has a twelve month low of $123.79 and a twelve month high of $163.98. The company has a market cap of $48.87 billion, a PE ratio of 17.61 and a beta of 1.21. The company’s 50 day moving average is $147.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.32.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last issued 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%. Analysts anticipate that Hess will post 8.08 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Hess

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. CIBRA Capital Ltd purchased a new position in Hess in the 4th quarter valued at about $14,324,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Hess by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,927 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $921,000 after purchasing an additional 986 shares in the last quarter. PKO Investment Management Joint Stock Co purchased a new stake in shares of Hess during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,210,000. Aegis Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Hess in the 4th quarter valued at $214,000. Finally, Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH lifted its holdings in Hess by 449.6% in the 4th quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 9,497 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,263,000 after purchasing an additional 7,769 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.