Millstone Evans Group LLC Takes Position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 245 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $33,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Hess by 3.5% in the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 2,154 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $287,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in Hess by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,971 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $528,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in 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 worth $224,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Hess by 5.2% in 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 buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Hess by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 629 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $84,000 after buying an additional 96 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

HES has been the topic of several recent research reports. StockNews.com started coverage on Hess in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup increased their target price on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.60.

Hess Price Performance

NYSE HES opened at $157.43 on Tuesday. 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 Co. has a 52-week low of $123.79 and a 52-week high of $163.98. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $141.10. The stock has a market cap of $48.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.49 and a beta of 1.21.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Analysts anticipate that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. 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 1.27%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.