Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU) Sets New 12-Month High – Still a Buy?

Shares of Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU) (TSE:SU) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as high as $51.22 and last traded at $51.07, with a volume of 213642 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $49.87.

More Suncor Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Suncor Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan upgraded Suncor, signaling confidence from a major bank that could support buying interest. JPMorgan upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo assigned a “hold,” keeping analyst sentiment mixed and limiting a clear directional catalyst from the broker community. Wells Fargo hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Commentary pieces are re-assessing Suncor’s valuation after recent moves; these analyses may encourage longer-term value buyers but are not immediate drivers. Valuation reassessment
• Negative Sentiment: A worker died at Suncor’s Fort Hills oilsands site after machinery sank into muskeg; the company and regulators are investigating. This raises near-term operational, safety and regulatory risk that can pressure the stock and weigh on investor sentiment. Worker death article
• Negative Sentiment: Traders bought an unusually large volume of put options (28,315 puts — a roughly 2,998% jump vs. average), indicating heightened short-term bearish wagers or hedge activity that can amplify downward pressure. Put options flow
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded Suncor from “strong-buy” to “hold,” removing a buy-side endorsement and potentially reducing momentum from retail/quant strategies that follow such ratings. Zacks downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: A labor tribunal ordered Suncor to pay roughly $160,000 to a former shift supervisor; while not material to fundamentals, it adds reputational and HR/legal noise for investors to digest. Legal payout

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SU has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Suncor Energy in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Suncor Energy in a research note on Friday, October 17th. They issued an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered Suncor Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, December 28th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Suncor Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Suncor Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.67.

Suncor Energy Trading Up 2.0%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The company has a market capitalization of $60.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.69 and a beta of 0.46. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $45.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $41.99.

Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU) (TSE:SU) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.85 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $9.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.82 billion. Suncor Energy had a return on equity of 13.01% and a net margin of 10.61%.During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.48 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Suncor Energy Inc. will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Suncor Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were issued a $0.60 dividend. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.7%. This is a boost from Suncor Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 3rd. Suncor Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 56.39%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Suncor Energy by 64.1% in the 3rd quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 704 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Suncor Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Suncor Energy in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management increased its position in shares of Suncor Energy by 143.5% in the third quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 789 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Suncor Energy by 95.8% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 793 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 388 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.37% of the company’s stock.

About Suncor Energy

Suncor Energy Inc is a Canadian integrated energy company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. The company’s operations span the full oil and gas value chain, with principal activities in oil sands development and production, conventional exploration and production, refining, distribution and retail marketing of petroleum products. Suncor supplies crude, synthetic crude and refined fuels as well as related products and services to commercial and consumer markets.

Upstream, Suncor is a major developer and operator of oil sands projects in Alberta, using both mining and in situ technologies to produce bitumen and synthetic crude.