Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC Sells 1,287 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC lessened its stake in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 34.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,403 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,287 shares during the period. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $320,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hess by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 2,154 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $287,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its stake in Hess by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,971 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $528,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the last quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Hess by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,682 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Hess by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,809 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted 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 valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hess

In other Hess news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.30, for a total transaction of $27,877,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2,384,679 shares in the company, valued at approximately $379,879,364.70. This represents a 6.84 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 9.76% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HES opened at $138.11 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12. The firm has a market cap of $42.58 billion, a PE ratio of 15.35 and a beta of 0.88. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $147.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.63. Hess Co. has a one year low of $123.79 and a one year high of $163.98.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last posted its earnings results 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 analysts predict that Hess Co. will post 8.08 EPS for the current year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 17th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is currently 22.22%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group increased their price target on Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Pickering Energy Partners raised shares of Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Hess in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.60.

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.