Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for Hess Earnings

Hess Co. (NYSE:HES) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q4 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Hess in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, December 11th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the oil and gas producer will post earnings of $1.85 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $1.84. The consensus estimate for Hess’ current full-year earnings is $9.74 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Hess’ Q1 2026 earnings at $2.05 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.90 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.88 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $7.86 EPS.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Hess from $157.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Hess from $173.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com started coverage on Hess in a research note on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised Hess from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $151.00 to $193.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their price target on Hess from $149.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 18th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Hess presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $170.50.

Hess Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HES opened at $140.20 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a market capitalization of $43.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.34 and a beta of 1.17. Hess has a 52 week low of $123.79 and a 52 week high of $163.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $141.65 and a 200 day moving average of $141.35.

Hess (NYSE:HES) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The oil and gas producer reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.26. Hess had a return on equity of 27.41% and a net margin of 20.58%. The firm had revenue of $3.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.96 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.64 EPS. Hess’s quarterly revenue was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hess

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Primecap Management Co. CA boosted its position in Hess by 4.4% during the second quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA now owns 8,098,012 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,194,619,000 after purchasing an additional 340,490 shares in the last quarter. HBK Investments L P lifted its position in shares of Hess by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter. HBK Investments L P now owns 7,117,820 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $966,600,000 after buying an additional 1,017,720 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Hess by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,537,162 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $884,709,000 after acquiring an additional 74,085 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Hess by 58.9% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,753,126 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $509,675,000 after acquiring an additional 1,391,311 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in Hess by 31.0% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,318,822 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $450,696,000 after acquiring an additional 785,270 shares in the last quarter. 88.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hess news, CEO John B. Hess sold 125,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $147.08, for a total value of $18,385,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 217,894 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $32,047,849.52. The trade was a 36.45 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Geurt G. Schoonman sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $141.91, for a total transaction of $851,460.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 27,581 shares in the company, valued at $3,914,019.71. The trade was a 17.87 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 314,370 shares of company stock worth $45,856,309. 9.76% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hess Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Monday, December 16th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 16th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.43%. Hess’s dividend payout ratio is currently 23.31%.

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.