Short Interest in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) Rises By 21.9%

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totaling 25,557,177 shares, a growth of 21.9% from the December 31st total of 20,969,416 shares. Currently, 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 22,321,803 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 22,321,803 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days. Currently, 0.4% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on PBR. UBS Group lifted their target price on Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from $14.40 to $14.60 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. One research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $14.97.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras during the second quarter worth about $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 74.9% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,044 shares in the last quarter. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 45.7% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 902 shares in the last quarter.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Price Performance

NYSE PBR traded up $0.25 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $15.28. 33,861,878 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 27,741,860. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras has a 1-year low of $11.03 and a 1-year high of $15.94. The company has a market cap of $98.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $12.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.82.

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

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a $0.0658 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras’s payout ratio is currently 21.76%.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Company Profile

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.