Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Call Options on PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF)

PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Traders purchased 10,029 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 144% compared to the average volume of 4,118 call options.

Key PBF Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting PBF Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Refining‑margin tailwinds and Martinez restart progress — Market indicators for gasoline/diesel crack spreads have improved in March and PBF’s Martinez rebuild/restart is reported to be advancing toward targeted operating rates, boosting near‑term earnings expectations for refiners like PBF. PBF Energy jumps as refining-margin tailwinds and Martinez restart progress come back into focus
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options activity — Traders bought ~10,029 call contracts in a single session (about +144% vs. average daily call volume), suggesting short‑term speculative or hedged bullish positioning that can amplify intraday upside.
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho lifted its price target / bullish coverage flow — Mizuho raised its target to $45, which narrows perceived downside and can support buy‑side interest following recent volatility. Mizuho Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for PBF Energy
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlights momentum characteristics — A momentum/style write‑up may attract short‑term traders and quant/momentum flows but does not change fundamentals. Here’s Why PBF Energy (PBF) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO compensation disclosure — A DEF14A‑based report shows CEO Matthew Lucey’s 2025 pay declined ~12% vs. 2024; notable for governance readers but unlikely to be a primary stock driver. PBF Energy Inc. ($PBF) President and CEO 2025 Pay Revealed
• Negative Sentiment: Large, repeated insider selling by controlling shareholder — Control Empresarial De Capital has disclosed multiple recent sales (including a 600,000‑share sale at ~\$44.43 and other sales this month), totaling tens of millions of dollars; persistent selling from the control shareholder can be perceived as a negative conviction/governance signal and may cap upside while it continues. SEC Form 4 — Control Empresarial De Capital sale

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on PBF shares. Mizuho boosted their price target on PBF Energy from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wolfe Research cut shares of PBF Energy from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $23.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, December 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of PBF Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of PBF Energy from $33.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of PBF Energy from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, PBF Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $31.69.

Insider Transactions at PBF Energy

In other PBF Energy news, SVP Paul T. Davis sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.80, for a total transaction of $2,240,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 183,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,217,484.80. The trade was a 21.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Control Empresarial De Capital sold 600,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.43, for a total value of $26,658,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 24,096,898 shares in the company, valued at $1,070,625,178.14. This trade represents a 2.43% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 6,367,179 shares of company stock worth $251,164,080 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of PBF Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PBF. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of PBF Energy by 3.0% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 9,575 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $289,000 after buying an additional 276 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in PBF Energy by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 14,287 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in PBF Energy by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 25,666 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $774,000 after purchasing an additional 353 shares during the period. Next Level Private LLC raised its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Next Level Private LLC now owns 66,660 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,808,000 after purchasing an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 28,617 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $863,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.29% of the company’s stock.

PBF Energy Trading Up 5.3%

PBF stock traded up $2.50 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $49.59. 1,168,064 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,681,180. PBF Energy has a one year low of $13.61 and a one year high of $50.25. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.80 billion, a PE ratio of -33.79, a PEG ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 1.21. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $35.88 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $32.86.

PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.15) by $0.64. PBF Energy had a negative net margin of 0.54% and a negative return on equity of 8.86%. The firm had revenue of $7.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($2.82) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that PBF Energy will post -1.12 EPS for the current year.

PBF Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were given a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 25th. PBF Energy’s dividend payout ratio is -74.83%.

PBF Energy Company Profile

PBF Energy, Inc is an independent petroleum refiner organized in 2008 and headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. The company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in July 2012 under the ticker symbol PBF. Since its formation, PBF Energy has grown through acquisitions and operational optimization, positioning itself as a leading supplier of refined petroleum products in the United States.

The company owns and operates five refineries located along the U.S. Gulf Coast, East Coast and in the Pacific Northwest, with a combined crude oil processing capacity of approximately 900,000 barrels per day.