Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Shares Bought by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. grew its position in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,540 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Hess were worth $2,599,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HES. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Hess by 58.9% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,753,126 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $509,675,000 after buying an additional 1,391,311 shares during the period. HBK Investments L P boosted its position in shares of Hess by 16.7% in the third quarter. HBK Investments L P now owns 7,117,820 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $966,600,000 after buying an additional 1,017,720 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in shares of Hess by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,930,509 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $389,787,000 after buying an additional 927,093 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in shares of Hess by 31.0% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,318,822 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $450,696,000 after buying an additional 785,270 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hess in the third quarter worth about $75,126,000. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hess Trading Up 3.1 %

NYSE:HES opened at $147.73 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The business’s 50 day moving average is $143.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.94. Hess Co. has a 52 week low of $123.79 and a 52 week high of $163.98. The company has a market cap of $45.55 billion, a PE ratio of 16.41 and a beta of 1.21.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last released its 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%. On average, analysts predict that Hess Co. will post 8.08 EPS for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 17th. Hess’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HES. Citigroup upped their target price on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Hess in a report on Monday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hess currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.60.

About Hess

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.