Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV Has $2.49 Million Holdings in Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV trimmed its stake in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,707 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 170 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in Hess were worth $2,488,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. J.Safra Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Hess in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new position in Hess in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Hess during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Hess during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation N.A. boosted its stake in shares of Hess by 225.6% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 293 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO John B. Hess sold 175,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 9.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hess Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of HES stock opened at $129.16 on Wednesday. Hess Co. has a 12-month low of $123.79 and a 12-month high of $161.69. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average of $141.12 and a 200-day moving average of $141.60. The company has a market capitalization of $39.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.35 and a beta of 0.61.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.81 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.95 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.95 billion. Hess had a net margin of 21.27% and a return on equity of 26.32%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.16 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hess Co. will post 8.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 17th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 17th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.66%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

HES has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on shares of Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. StockNews.com started coverage on Hess in a research note on Monday. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Hess from $170.00 to $163.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Hess from $160.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hess has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $164.46.

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.