Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Hess Earnings

Hess Corporation (NYSE:HES) – Analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q2 2025 earnings estimates for Hess in a report released on Thursday, June 19th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now expects that the oil and gas producer will earn $1.25 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $1.27. The consensus estimate for Hess’ current full-year earnings is $8.08 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hess’ Q3 2025 earnings at $1.28 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.45 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $5.79 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $1.67 EPS and Q1 2027 earnings at $2.62 EPS.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). Hess had a net margin of 17.65% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.95 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.1% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Hess from $163.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 11th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Hess from $160.00 to $136.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of Hess from $164.00 to $146.58 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Hess from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on shares of Hess from $151.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.16.

Hess Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HES opened at $141.64 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $43.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.59 and a beta of 0.62. Hess has a 1 year low of $123.79 and a 1 year high of $161.69. The company has a current ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $133.96 and a 200 day simple moving average of $139.99.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hess

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Hess by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,873,741 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $5,570,383,000 after buying an additional 1,732,497 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Hess by 16,134.6% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,546,506 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,470,230,000 after acquiring an additional 1,536,980 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hess in the first quarter worth $196,457,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Hess by 94.4% during the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,043,488 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $326,408,000 after acquiring an additional 992,383 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Hess by 46.3% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,930,509 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $389,787,000 after acquiring an additional 927,093 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 88.51% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO John B. Hess sold 250,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $136.01, for a total value of $34,002,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,734,679 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $235,933,690.79. This trade represents a 12.60% 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. Insiders have sold a total of 650,000 shares of company stock valued at $91,845,500 over the last 90 days. 9.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 16th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.41%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 16th. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is 27.66%.

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.