Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) Shares Sold by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 1.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,292 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 109 shares during the quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Hess were worth $1,501,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HES. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Hess by 58.9% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,753,126 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $509,675,000 after purchasing an additional 1,391,311 shares during the last quarter. HBK Investments L P boosted its holdings in shares of Hess by 16.7% during the third quarter. HBK Investments L P now owns 7,117,820 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $966,600,000 after purchasing an additional 1,017,720 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Hess by 31.0% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,318,822 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $450,696,000 after purchasing an additional 785,270 shares during the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Hess during the third quarter worth $75,126,000. Finally, Sculptor Capital LP boosted its holdings in shares of Hess by 188.7% during the second quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 765,542 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $112,933,000 after purchasing an additional 500,342 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on HES shares. Susquehanna raised their price objective on Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 18th. Scotiabank increased their target price on Hess from $157.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup increased their target price on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. StockNews.com started coverage on Hess in a research report on Tuesday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hess presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.50.

Hess Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:HES opened at $144.80 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $141.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Hess Co. has a 12 month low of $123.79 and a 12 month high of $163.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.62 billion, a PE ratio of 16.88 and a beta of 1.18.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.26. Hess had a return on equity of 27.41% and a net margin of 20.58%. The business had revenue of $3.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.96 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Hess Co. will post 9.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.38%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Hess’s payout ratio is 23.31%.

Insider Transactions at Hess

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 90,476 shares of Hess stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $142.47, for a total value of $12,890,115.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 223,147 shares in the company, valued at approximately $31,791,753.09. This trade represents a 28.85 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Geurt G. Schoonman sold 6,000 shares of Hess stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.91, for a total value of $851,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 27,581 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,914,019.71. This trade represents a 17.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 314,370 shares of company stock valued at $45,856,309. 9.76% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.