Xponance Inc. Sells 425 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Xponance Inc. decreased its stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 52,079 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 425 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Hess were worth $6,927,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Birnam Oak Advisors LP bought a new stake in Hess in the fourth quarter worth about $17,998,000. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. raised its position in Hess by 5.6% in the fourth quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 6,657 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $885,000 after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Hess by 19.5% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,058 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $407,000 after acquiring an additional 498 shares during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp raised its position in shares of Hess by 229.0% in the fourth quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 123,619 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $16,443,000 after purchasing an additional 86,042 shares during the period. Finally, Avalon Trust Co bought a new stake in shares of Hess in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $63,000. Institutional investors own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Hess Stock Performance

Hess stock opened at $156.51 on Thursday. 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 Co. has a 1-year low of $123.79 and a 1-year high of $163.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.25 billion, a PE ratio of 17.39 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $146.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $140.54.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last released 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 net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 26.32%. As a group, analysts expect that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be paid 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 yield of 1.28%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is presently 22.22%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup boosted their price target 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 assumed coverage on shares of Hess in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Hess has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.