PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) Sets New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $47.36 and last traded at $48.7460, with a volume of 18967 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $47.09.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

PBF has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of PBF Energy from $29.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of PBF Energy from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Zacks Research raised shares of PBF Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of PBF Energy from $33.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $34.00 price target on shares of PBF Energy in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $31.69.

PBF Energy Stock Up 4.5%

The stock has a market capitalization of $5.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -33.32, a PEG ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.41. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $35.88 and a 200 day moving average of $32.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) last posted 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 return on equity of 8.86% and a negative net margin of 0.54%.The company had revenue of $7.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($2.82) EPS. PBF Energy’s revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that PBF Energy Inc. will post -1.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PBF Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Thomas J. Nimbley sold 200,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.07, for a total transaction of $8,014,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 790,716 shares in the company, valued at $31,683,990.12. This represents a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Paul T. Davis sold 50,000 shares of PBF Energy stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 183,426 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,217,484.80. This represents a 21.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 6,367,179 shares of company stock valued at $251,164,080. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of PBF Energy by 197.7% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 887 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 589 shares during the period. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in PBF Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in PBF Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its holdings in PBF Energy by 62.3% in the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,146 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in PBF Energy by 235.7% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,299 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 912 shares in the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is owned by 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.