Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Stake Lifted by Flputnam Investment Management Co.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its position in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,262 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Hess were worth $434,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Hess by 18.0% in the 4th quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 629 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Hess during the fourth quarter worth about $15,165,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Hess in the fourth quarter worth about $259,000. New York Life Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Hess by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 37,159 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,943,000 after acquiring an additional 288 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carlson Capital L.P. boosted its position in shares of Hess by 194.0% during the 4th quarter. Carlson Capital L.P. now owns 29,400 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $3,910,000 after purchasing an additional 19,400 shares in the last quarter. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hess Trading Down 3.4 %

NYSE:HES opened at $143.83 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $44.32 billion, a PE ratio of 15.98 and a beta of 1.17. 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 current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $142.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.75.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 EPS 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%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 16th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on 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 raised Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com began coverage on Hess in a research report on Sunday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.60.

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.