Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) Price Target Raised to $14.60

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) had its price objective boosted by UBS Group from $14.40 to $14.60 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas exploration company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on PBR. Zacks Research downgraded Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $14.97.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Price Performance

Shares of PBR opened at $12.69 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $12.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $12.36. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras has a fifty-two week low of $11.03 and a fifty-two week high of $14.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $81.78 billion, a PE ratio of 5.88, a PEG ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.51.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.79 by $0.03. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras had a net margin of 16.15% and a return on equity of 23.32%. Equities analysts predict that Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 26th will be given a dividend of $0.0658 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.76%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 74.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,044 shares during the last quarter. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 45.7% during the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 902 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas raised its holdings in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 241.9% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 4,240 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter.

About Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras

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.