Zacks Research Brokers Boost Earnings Estimates for Hess

Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2025 EPS estimates for Hess in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, February 11th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the oil and gas producer will earn $1.96 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $1.60. The consensus estimate for Hess’ current full-year earnings is $7.69 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hess’ Q2 2025 earnings at $1.90 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.64 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $3.18 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $3.00 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.73 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.00 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $11.92 EPS.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. 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 presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.60.

Hess Stock Performance

HES opened at $145.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $140.22 and its 200 day simple moving average is $138.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.93 billion, a PE ratio of 16.20 and a beta of 1.17. Hess has a 52-week low of $123.79 and a 52-week high of $163.98.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 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%.

Institutional Trading of Hess

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hess in the third quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Creative Planning raised its holdings in Hess by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 19,369 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,630,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares in the last quarter. Ellsworth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hess during the 3rd quarter valued at $602,000. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in shares of Hess by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 29,357 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $3,987,000 after acquiring an additional 1,070 shares during the period. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Hess by 39.9% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 3,184 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $432,000 after purchasing an additional 908 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Hess

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 125,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.08, for a total value of $18,385,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 217,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $32,047,849.52. This represents a 36.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 9.76% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Hess’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

Hess Company 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.