Shell Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:SHEL)

Shell PLC Unsponsored ADR (NYSE:SHEL) saw some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors acquired 35,946 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 244% compared to the average daily volume of 10,444 call options.

Shell Stock Performance

Shares of SHEL stock traded down $0.10 on Monday, reaching $77.92. The stock had a trading volume of 2,458,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,247,040. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.27. Shell has a 1 year low of $68.63 and a 1 year high of $94.90. The stock has a market cap of $218.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.48 and a beta of 0.06. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $84.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $82.32.

Shell (NYSE:SHEL) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The energy company reported $2.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.14 by $0.30. The company had revenue of $69.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $77.54 billion. Shell had a return on equity of 11.18% and a net margin of 6.85%. Equities research analysts expect that Shell will post 9.9 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on SHEL. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Shell from $77.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Rothschild & Co Redburn downgraded Shell from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Shell from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, June 27th. Erste Group Bank reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Shell in a research report on Tuesday, May 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Shell to $122.40 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and thirteen have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $100.46.

Institutional Trading of Shell

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Shell in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT increased its stake in shares of Shell by 186.7% in the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 473 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares in the last quarter. Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC bought a new position in Shell in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in Shell during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. increased its position in Shell by 51.3% in the fourth quarter. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. now owns 649 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. 28.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Shell

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.