Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY Sells 41,551 Shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES)

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY trimmed its position in shares of Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) by 55.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,326 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 41,551 shares during the period. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY’s holdings in Hess were worth $4,433,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Hess by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 19,751 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,914,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Hess by 12.8% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,998 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $271,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its holdings in shares of Hess by 261.4% in the third quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 1,948 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $264,000 after buying an additional 1,409 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new position in shares of Hess in the third quarter valued at approximately $92,000. Finally, CHICAGO TRUST Co NA grew its stake in Hess by 3.7% during the third quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 5,461 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $742,000 after acquiring an additional 193 shares in the last quarter. 88.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hess Price Performance

Shares of Hess stock opened at $142.99 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.12. Hess Co. has a 52-week low of $123.79 and a 52-week high of $163.98. The company has a fifty day moving average of $140.23 and a 200-day moving average of $139.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89 and a beta of 1.17.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.44 by $0.32. Hess had a return on equity of 26.32% and a net margin of 21.27%. Equities research analysts expect that Hess Co. will post 7.69 EPS for the current year.

Hess Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 16th. Hess’s payout ratio is 22.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hess

In other Hess news, CEO John B. Hess sold 92,894 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.80, for a total transaction of $13,729,733.20. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 229,465 shares in the company, valued at approximately $33,914,927. This represents a 28.82 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 9.76% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HES has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Hess in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating on the stock. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 18th. Pickering Energy Partners upgraded Hess to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price target on Hess from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.50.

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.