Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Makes New $237,000 Investment in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI purchased a new stake in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 1,812 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $237,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of HES. Sierra Ocean LLC acquired a new position in Hess in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Groupama Asset Managment lifted its holdings in Hess by 22.7% in the third quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 22,606 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 4,186 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its position in Hess by 59.8% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 262 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the period. FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Hess in the third quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Hess in the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of HES opened at $141.43 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $143.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $139.80. Hess Co. has a 52-week low of $123.79 and a 52-week high of $163.98. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. The company has a market capitalization of $43.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.71 and a beta of 1.21.

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

Hess Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 17th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.41%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 22.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on HES shares. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Hess from $185.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Pickering Energy Partners raised Hess to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Hess from $145.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Hess in a research report on Sunday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $170.60.

About Hess

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.