Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) Stock Sees Heavy Call Option Buying

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 161,291 call options on the company. This is an increase of 199% compared to the average volume of 53,864 call options.

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

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PBR. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new position in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the 1st quarter worth about $51,000. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the 1st quarter worth about $54,000. NFSG Corp boosted its stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 153.8% during the third quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 4,125 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $86,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GK Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the third quarter worth about $97,000.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Trading Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE:PBR traded up $0.68 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $25.98. 24,013,836 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 24,201,896. The stock has a market capitalization of $167.41 billion, a PE ratio of 6.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.29. The business’s 50 day moving average is $20.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras has a one year low of $11.43 and a one year high of $26.10.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 1st. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.2649 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras’s payout ratio is currently 10.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from $23.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 1st. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from $22.00 to $23.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Zacks Research raised Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Wall Street Zen lowered Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, October 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Friday, October 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $20.97.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Company Profile

Petróleo Brasileiro SA, commonly known as Petrobras, is a Brazilian state-controlled, integrated energy company headquartered in Rio de Janeiro. Founded in 1953, the company is engaged primarily in the exploration, development, production, refining, transportation and marketing of oil and natural gas.

Petrobras has a major focus on offshore operations, particularly the development of Brazil’s pre-salt oil fields in the Santos and Campos basins. Its activities also include the processing and sale of petroleum products, natural gas and biofuels, as well as participation in power generation and other energy-related businesses.

The company serves the Brazilian market through its production, refining, logistics and distribution activities and has historically maintained international operations and partnerships.