New York-based Hess Corporation (HES) explores, produces, purchases, transports, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. Valued at $45.7 billion by market cap, Hess focuses on exploration and production activities in the U.S., Gulf of Mexico, offshore Suriname, and several international locations.
Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as “large-cap stocks,” Hess fits right into that category, with its market cap exceeding this threshold, reflecting its substantial size and influence in the oil & gas industry.
Hess touched its 52-week high of $163.98 on Apr. 29, 2024, and is currently trading 11.8% below that peak. Over the past three months, HES stock observed a 1.6% uptick, notably outperforming the S&P 500 Index’s ($SPX) 8.4% decline during the same time frame.
Meanwhile, HES stock soared 14.5% over the past six months, significantly outpacing SPX’s 32 bps uptick over the same time frame. However, HES has dipped 1.6% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming SPX’s 8.9% gains over the past year.
To confirm the recent upturn, Hess has observed a significant surge in stock prices since mid-December 2024 and remained mostly above its 200-day and 50-day moving averages since mid-January 2025 with some fluctuations.
Hess stock observed a marginal uptick after the release of its impressive Q4 results on Jan. 29. While the company experienced lower price realization due to thinner crack spreads, it reported a staggering 18.4% year-over-year increase in oil & gas net production to 495,000 boepd. This increase in volumes led to a notable 6.3% year-over-year increase in overall topline to $3.2 billion, which surpassed the Street’s expectations by a significant margin. Meanwhile, the company also showcased impressive cost management discipline which led to 35.5% year-over-year growth in income before tax to $928 million. Furthermore, its adjusted EPS of $1.76 surpassed the consensus estimates by 16.6%.
Moreover, Hess has significantly outperformed its peer Occidental Petroleum Corporation’s (OXY) 8.7% decline over the past six months and a 24.8% drop over the past 52 weeks.
Among the 16 analysts covering the HES stock, the consensus rating is a “Moderate Buy.” Its mean price target of $167.47 represents a 15.8% upside potential from current price levels.
On the date of publication, Aditya Sarawgi did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
