Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:PBR)

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Investors bought 144,467 call options on the company. This is an increase of 120% compared to the typical volume of 65,567 call options.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of PBR stock traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $18.73. 15,399,791 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 17,063,196. The business has a 50 day moving average of $20.43 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras has a 52 week low of $11.03 and a 52 week high of $22.24. The company has a market capitalization of $120.67 billion, a PE ratio of 6.11, a PEG ratio of 0.75 and a beta of 0.32.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, March 31st. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras had a net margin of 21.67% and a return on equity of 23.65%. The company had revenue of $23.54 billion during the quarter. Analysts anticipate that Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras will post 4.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.1426 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 3rd. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.39%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on PBR. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from $13.10 to $15.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Jefferies Financial Group cut Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $20.30 to $19.00 in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Zacks Research cut Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Wall Street Zen raised Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, March 22nd. Finally, Bank of America raised Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $18.70 to $24.80 in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.35.

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

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 273.4% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 2,330 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,706 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 74.9% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,044 shares during the last quarter. Ascentis Independent Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the first quarter valued at approximately $51,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the first quarter valued at approximately $54,000.

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.