Securian Asset Management Inc. Has $1.98 Million Holdings in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Securian Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 2.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 14,853 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 407 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Hess were worth $1,976,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Hess in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hess in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 4,186 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its position in Hess by 59.8% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 262 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hess in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. 88.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hess Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE HES opened at $143.65 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $144.94 and a 200-day moving average of $140.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.96 and a beta of 1.21. Hess Co. has a 52 week low of $123.79 and a 52 week high of $163.98. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data 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, equities research analysts forecast 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. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on HES. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. StockNews.com began coverage on Hess in a research report on Monday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup lifted 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. Finally, Pickering Energy Partners upgraded Hess to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hess has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.60.

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.