Shell Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:SHEL)

Shell PLC Unsponsored ADR (NYSE:SHEL) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors bought 49,795 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 347% compared to the typical volume of 11,128 call options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on SHEL. HSBC upgraded Shell from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Shell from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Shell in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane set a $101.00 target price on Shell and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Shell to $122.40 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and fourteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $102.17.

Shell Stock Up 0.7%

SHEL stock traded up $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $90.52. The stock had a trading volume of 5,023,832 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,799,522. Shell has a 1-year low of $68.63 and a 1-year high of $94.90. The company has a fifty day moving average of $84.41 and a 200 day moving average of $85.22. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $253.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.99, a PEG ratio of 0.59 and a beta of 0.05.

Shell (NYSE:SHEL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, July 31st. The energy company reported $3.52 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.23 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $94.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $86.22 billion. Shell had a net margin of 8.55% and a return on equity of 14.34%. On average, equities analysts expect that Shell will post 10.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Shell

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SHEL. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Shell by 51.7% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,463 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $468,000 after buying an additional 2,545 shares during the period. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Shell by 111.5% in the fourth quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 42,090 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,093,000 after acquiring an additional 22,187 shares during the period. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC raised its position in Shell by 489.8% in the fourth quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 19,569 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,438,000 after purchasing an additional 16,251 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Shell by 119.7% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 42,664 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,135,000 after purchasing an additional 23,243 shares during the period. Finally, Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. grew its stake in shares of Shell by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. now owns 156,733 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $11,517,000 after purchasing an additional 7,083 shares during the period. 28.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Shell Company Profile

Shell plc (NYSE: SHEL) is a global integrated energy company that operates across the full oil and gas value chain as well as in developing lower-carbon energy solutions. The company traces its roots to the early 20th century merger of Royal Dutch Petroleum and Shell Transport and Trading, and today it is organized to explore for and produce hydrocarbons, process and refine them, manufacture petrochemicals, and market fuel, lubricants and related products under the Shell brand around the world.

Shell’s principal activities include upstream exploration and production of oil and natural gas, integrated gas operations including liquefied natural gas (LNG), and downstream refining, supply and marketing.