Hess (NYSE:HES) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

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

HES has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of 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 report on Monday, December 9th. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.60.

Hess Price Performance

HES stock opened at $156.51 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.39 and a beta of 1.21. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $146.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $140.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Hess has a 12-month low of $123.79 and a 12-month high of $163.98.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.44 by $0.32. Hess had a return on equity of 26.32% and a net margin of 21.27%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Hess will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hess

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HES. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Hess during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hess in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Hess during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hess in the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Hess in the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.