Boussard & Gavaudan Investment Management LLP Has $35.28 Million Stock Holdings in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Boussard & Gavaudan Investment Management LLP lowered its position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 18.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 269,934 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 60,176 shares during the period. Hess accounts for approximately 2.9% of Boussard & Gavaudan Investment Management LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. Boussard & Gavaudan Investment Management LLP owned 0.09% of Hess worth $35,283,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in Hess by 19.1% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 16,369 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,224,000 after buying an additional 2,630 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hess by 10.3% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 18,862 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,561,000 after acquiring an additional 1,764 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Hess in the 3rd quarter worth $114,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Hess by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 397,926 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $54,038,000 after buying an additional 4,287 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Townsquare Capital LLC purchased a new position in Hess in the 3rd quarter worth $298,000. Institutional investors own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Hess Stock Performance

NYSE:HES opened at $159.10 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.68 and a beta of 1.21. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $147.64 and its 200 day moving average is $141.58. Hess Co. has a fifty-two week low of $123.79 and a fifty-two 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 earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Hess had a return on equity of 26.32% and a net margin of 21.27%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company 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 $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.26%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. 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. Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Hess in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus 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.