Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Shares Bought by Hudson Bay Capital Management LP

Hudson Bay Capital Management LP grew its position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 30.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,652,543 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 386,223 shares during the period. Hess makes up approximately 0.8% of Hudson Bay Capital Management LP’s holdings, making the stock its 7th largest holding. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP owned approximately 0.54% of Hess worth $219,805,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Hess by 3.4% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 326,921 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $44,396,000 after purchasing an additional 10,738 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Hess by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,246 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $848,000 after acquiring an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Graypoint LLC boosted its holdings in Hess by 21.6% in the 4th quarter. Graypoint LLC now owns 2,368 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the period. Czech National Bank raised its stake in shares of Hess by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 59,927 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $7,971,000 after purchasing an additional 3,625 shares during the period. Finally, Wedmont Private Capital lifted its position in shares of Hess by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 3,906 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $556,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HES has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hess in a report on Monday, May 5th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. UBS Group cut their price target on Hess from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Susquehanna cut their target price on Hess from $160.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.46.

Hess Trading Up 0.9 %

Hess stock opened at $132.06 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. Hess Co. has a 1 year low of $123.79 and a 1 year high of $161.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $140.25 and its 200-day moving average is $141.44. The company has a market cap of $40.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.67 and a beta of 0.61.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.95 by ($0.14). The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. Hess had a net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 26.32%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.16 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.66%.

Insider Transactions at Hess

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.30, for a total value of $27,877,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,384,679 shares in the company, valued at $379,879,364.70. This trade represents a 6.84 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 9.10% of the company’s stock.

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.