Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) Short Interest Up 47.9% in January

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 37,788,934 shares, a growth of 47.9% from the January 15th total of 25,557,177 shares. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 33,057,072 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.1 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 33,057,072 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.1 days. Approximately 0.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras stock traded down $0.07 during trading on Friday, hitting $15.19. 17,427,811 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 28,036,740. The stock has a market cap of $97.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.03, a PEG ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $13.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $12.65. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras has a twelve month low of $11.03 and a twelve month high of $16.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.82.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.0658 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 26th. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.76%.

Institutional Trading of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital International Investors grew its stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 51.6% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 30,637,308 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $363,052,000 after buying an additional 10,425,563 shares during the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP lifted its position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 18,975,177 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $224,856,000 after acquiring an additional 166,472 shares during the last quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD boosted its holdings in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 14.1% during the fourth quarter. Mondrian Investment Partners LTD now owns 12,655,094 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $149,963,000 after acquiring an additional 1,562,473 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 9.5% during the fourth quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 5,335,330 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $63,224,000 after acquiring an additional 462,889 shares during the period. Finally, Perpetual Ltd grew its position in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 3,313,257 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $39,262,000 after purchasing an additional 18,100 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on PBR shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from $13.10 to $15.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. UBS Group upped their target price on Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from $14.40 to $14.60 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $14.98.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Company Profile

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.