Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) Hits New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $14.98 and last traded at $14.9430, with a volume of 9910287 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.34.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on PBR shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, January 17th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from $14.40 to $14.60 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $14.97.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $96.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.94, a PEG ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $12.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.57.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.03. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras had a net margin of 16.15% and a return on equity of 23.32%. Analysts anticipate that Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.0658 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras’s payout ratio is presently 21.76%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Capital International Investors increased its stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 14.7% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 20,211,745 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $255,881,000 after purchasing an additional 2,592,536 shares during the period. ARGA Investment Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 70.4% in the third quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 18,808,705 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $238,118,000 after purchasing an additional 7,772,595 shares during the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD purchased a new position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the 3rd quarter worth about $140,433,000. Earnest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 52.0% during the 3rd quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 4,872,441 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $61,685,000 after buying an additional 1,665,873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perpetual Ltd boosted its position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 3,313,257 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $39,262,000 after buying an additional 18,100 shares during the period.

About Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras

Petróleo Brasileiro SA – Petrobras is a Brazilian, state-controlled integrated oil and gas company headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. Founded in 1953, Petrobras is principally engaged in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas, and operates across the full value chain from upstream activities through refining, transportation and downstream marketing of petroleum products. The company is a major player in Brazil’s energy sector and is a listed public company with global capital market presence.

Petrobras’s core activities include deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploration and production, where it has been a pioneer in developing pre-salt reserves off Brazil’s coast.