Clarius Group LLC Sells 270 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Clarius Group LLC trimmed its position in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,318 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 270 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Hess were worth $334,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in Hess in the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Larson Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Hess in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Hess in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Hess in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Orion Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Hess in the third quarter valued at about $33,000. 88.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of HES stock opened at $153.21 on Monday. Hess Co. has a 12 month low of $124.27 and a 12 month high of $167.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.05 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $149.28 and its 200 day moving average is $146.78.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 31st. The oil and gas producer reported $1.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.43 by $0.20. Hess had a net margin of 12.98% and a return on equity of 17.00%. The business had revenue of $3.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.76 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.78 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hess Co. will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 18th were paid a $0.4375 dividend. This represents a $1.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 15th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Hess news, SVP Geurt G. Schoonman sold 13,921 shares of the 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 directly owns 33,581 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,073,417.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, COO Gregory P. Hill sold 56,925 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.35, for a total value of $8,330,973.75. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 78,287 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,457,302.45. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Geurt G. Schoonman sold 13,921 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.08, for a total transaction of $2,103,184.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 33,581 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,073,417.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 155,798 shares of company stock worth $22,811,166 in the last three months. 9.93% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HES has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of Hess from $152.00 to $156.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Hess in a research note on Tuesday, April 9th. They issued a “sell” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Hess from $169.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Hess from $200.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $176.67.

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.