Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires 85 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,682 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $224,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in HES. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Hess by 58.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,753,126 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $509,675,000 after purchasing an additional 1,391,311 shares in the last quarter. HBK Investments L P raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 1,017,720 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in Hess by 31.0% in 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. Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in Hess by 64.3% during the 2nd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,449,969 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $218,220,000 after acquiring an additional 567,550 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its stake in shares of Hess by 45.6% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,794,087 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $264,664,000 after purchasing an additional 561,832 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Hess Price Performance

NYSE:HES opened at $151.33 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $140.66 and its 200 day moving average is $139.51. Hess Co. has a 12 month low of $123.79 and a 12 month high of $163.98. The company has a market capitalization of $46.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.64 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.14 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 firm had revenue of $3.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.96 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.64 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hess Co. will post 9.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 16th were issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.32%. Hess’s payout ratio is 23.31%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research upgraded Hess from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 30th. Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. StockNews.com started coverage on Hess in a report on Monday, January 13th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Hess from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Geurt G. Schoonman sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.91, for a total value of $851,460.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 27,581 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,914,019.71. This represents a 17.87 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John B. Hess sold 125,000 shares of Hess stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.08, for a total value of $18,385,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 217,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $32,047,849.52. The trade was a 36.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 314,370 shares of company stock valued at $45,856,309. Insiders own 9.76% of the company’s stock.

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.