Catalyst Financial Partners LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Catalyst Financial Partners LLC trimmed its position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,078 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 191 shares during the quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $409,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in HES. Groupama Asset Managment increased its position 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 during the period. Covestor Ltd increased its position in Hess by 59.8% during 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 period. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Hess during the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Hess during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC increased its position in 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 purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. 88.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of Hess stock opened at $146.65 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $45.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.29 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $140.24 and its 200 day moving average is $138.94. Hess Co. has a 1 year low of $123.79 and a 1 year high of $163.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.13.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Hess had a net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 26.32%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Hess Co. will post 7.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Hess’s payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on HES. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hess in a report on Friday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. 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 report on Thursday. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hess presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.60.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John B. Hess sold 92,894 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.80, for a total transaction of $13,729,733.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 229,465 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $33,914,927. This trade represents a 28.82 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 9.76% of the company’s stock.

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.