Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $14.90.

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, September 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Trading Down 2.3%

NYSE:PBR opened at $11.56 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $74.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.35, a P/E/G ratio of 0.16 and a beta of 0.53. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $12.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $12.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.57. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras has a 12-month low of $11.03 and a 12-month high of $14.98.

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

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.0658 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras’s payout ratio is presently 24.54%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,044 shares during the period. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of 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 worth $36,000 after buying an additional 902 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas lifted its stake in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 241.9% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas now owns 4,240 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $54,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the period.

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.