Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC Makes New Investment in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC purchased a new stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 11,812 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,703,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Hess in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Hess during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Hess during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in Hess during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Hess during the 3rd quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Geurt G. Schoonman sold 13,921 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.08, for a total value of $2,103,184.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 33,581 shares in the company, valued at $5,073,417.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Hess news, CEO John B. Hess sold 73,885 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.87, for a total transaction of $10,777,604.95. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 138,718 shares in the company, valued at $20,234,794.66. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Geurt G. Schoonman sold 13,921 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.08, for a total value of $2,103,184.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 33,581 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,073,417.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 155,798 shares of company stock worth $22,811,166. 9.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

HES has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group cut their price target on Hess from $210.00 to $195.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 14th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Hess in a research report on Monday, April 1st. They set a “sell” rating for the company. Mizuho upped their price objective on Hess from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 20th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Hess from $169.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their target price on Hess from $152.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $176.67.

Hess Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HES opened at $157.45 on Friday. Hess Co. has a 1-year low of $124.27 and a 1-year high of $167.75. The business has a 50-day moving average of $147.95 and a 200-day moving average of $146.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $48.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.99 and a beta of 1.27.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $1.63 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.20. Hess had a return on equity of 17.00% and a net margin of 12.98%. The company had revenue of $3.04 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.76 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.78 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Hess Co. will post 7.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Investors of record on Monday, March 18th were paid a $0.4375 dividend. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 15th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.89%.

Hess 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.