Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:PBR)

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock investors acquired 61,765 call options on the company. This is an increase of 48% compared to the average daily volume of 41,670 call options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PBR. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 20.9% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 2,702,467 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $34,213,000 after purchasing an additional 467,737 shares in the last quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP increased its position in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 70.4% in the 3rd quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 18,808,705 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $238,118,000 after buying an additional 7,772,595 shares in the last quarter. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG acquired a new stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras during the 3rd quarter worth $1,342,000. Morningstar Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 23.8% during the second quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC now owns 298,508 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $3,734,000 after acquiring an additional 57,437 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North of South Capital LLP increased its holdings in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 150.9% in the third quarter. North of South Capital LLP now owns 285,373 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $3,613,000 after acquiring an additional 171,649 shares in the last quarter.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Price Performance

Shares of PBR traded up $0.50 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $15.83. The company had a trading volume of 33,460,164 shares, compared to its average volume of 27,007,545. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras has a twelve month low of $11.03 and a twelve month high of $16.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The company’s 50-day moving average is $12.91 and its 200-day moving average is $12.59. The company has a market capitalization of $101.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.31 and a beta of 0.49.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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 of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.76%.

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.