Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Purchases 562 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 61.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,478 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 562 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $193,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased its stake in shares of Hess by 22.7% in 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 last quarter. Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Hess by 59.8% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 262 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hess during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC boosted its stake in Hess by 157.2% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 355 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Hess Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of HES stock opened at $141.43 on Thursday. Hess Co. has a 1-year low of $123.79 and a 1-year high of $163.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market cap of $43.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.71 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $143.39 and a 200-day moving average of $139.80.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 17th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. Hess’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on HES shares. Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hess in a research note on Sunday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Six 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 a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.