Hess (NYSE:HES) Coverage Initiated at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hess (NYSE:HES) in a research report issued on Tuesday. The firm set a “hold” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on HES. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded Hess to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research note on Monday, December 9th. UBS Group lifted their price target on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Hess has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.60.

Hess Stock Up 2.4 %

HES stock opened at $156.51 on Tuesday. Hess has a twelve month low of $123.79 and a twelve month 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 company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $146.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.54.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Hess will post 8.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HES. J.Safra Asset Management Corp purchased a new position in Hess in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in shares of Hess during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment increased its holdings in shares of Hess by 22.7% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 22,606 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 4,186 shares during the period. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hess in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hess during the 3rd quarter valued at about $37,000. 88.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.