PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) Trading Up 6.2% – Should You Buy?

PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF)’s stock price traded up 6.2% on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $42.51 and last traded at $42.1150. 346,185 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 3,648,071 shares. The stock had previously closed at $39.65.

PBF Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings surprised to the upside (reported $0.49 EPS vs. consensus -$0.15), supporting near-term operating confidence for PBF’s refining-heavy model. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators point to an Iran-related supply/disruption tailwind that could sustain higher refinery margins — a direct potential boost to PBF’s margins if the geopolitical premium persists. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: PBF paid a recent quarterly dividend ($0.275 per share; annualized $1.10, ~2.5% yield), which supports income-oriented investor interest and reduces downside from purely speculative selling. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: The stock shows technical interest as a candidate for short-covering / short-squeeze activity, which can amplify upside in the near term if shorts cover quickly. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will present at the Piper Sandler Energy Conference (Mar 16–17), offering a chance for updated guidance — a possible catalyst but timing and incremental content are unknown. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Goldman Sachs lifted its price target from $33 to $41 but kept a “neutral” rating — this narrows one downside worry but does not constitute a buy recommendation. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: Control Empresarial De Capital sold 838,000 shares (~$35.1M) on Mar 11 and has been a frequent seller in recent weeks — this large block can create short-term supply pressure and may be interpreted as reduced near-term insider conviction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Options flow picked up on the put side (high-volume put buys reported), indicating some traders are positioning for a pullback — this increases the risk of downside momentum if sentiment shifts. Read More.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on PBF shares. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of PBF Energy from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $34.00 price target on shares of PBF Energy in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of PBF Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Tudor Pickering upgraded PBF Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded PBF Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $31.15.

PBF Energy Stock Performance

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 company has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -29.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.30.

PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by $0.64. The business had revenue of $7.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.17 billion. PBF Energy had a negative net margin of 0.54% and a negative return on equity of 8.86%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned ($2.82) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that PBF Energy Inc. will post -1.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PBF Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were paid a $0.275 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. PBF Energy’s payout ratio is -74.83%.

Insider Transactions at PBF Energy

In related news, Director Thomas J. Nimbley sold 200,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.07, for a total transaction of $8,014,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 790,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,683,990.12. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Control Empresarial De Capital sold 838,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.91, for a total value of $35,120,580.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 25,391,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,064,140,917.18. This trade represents a 3.19% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,072,979 shares of company stock valued at $194,332,262. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of PBF Energy

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in PBF. Corient Private Wealth LLC lifted its stake in PBF Energy by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 12,309 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $334,000 after acquiring an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 81.7% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 67,674 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,840,000 after purchasing an additional 30,430 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 15.6% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 19,473 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $528,000 after purchasing an additional 2,635 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of PBF Energy by 7.3% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 119,402 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,238,000 after purchasing an additional 8,154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of PBF Energy by 49.7% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 1,729,304 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $46,899,000 after purchasing an additional 574,001 shares in the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.