Stock Traders Purchase High Volume of Shell Call Options (NYSE:SHEL)

Shell PLC Unsponsored ADR (NYSE:SHEL) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock investors purchased 14,321 call options on the company. This is an increase of 55% compared to the average daily volume of 9,252 call options.

Shell Stock Up 1.0%

SHEL opened at $75.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $216.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.56, a PEG ratio of 5.58 and a beta of 0.16. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $73.61 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.29. Shell has a 52 week low of $58.54 and a 52 week high of $79.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Shell (NYSE:SHEL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The energy company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by ($0.07). The company had revenue of $64.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.82 billion. Shell had a net margin of 6.52% and a return on equity of 10.26%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Shell will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. UBS Group cut Shell from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. Bank of America cut shares of Shell from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Shell from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered Shell from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Shell in a research report on Friday, October 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $81.33.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Shell

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Motco grew its position in Shell by 40.6% in the fourth quarter. Motco now owns 12,462 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $916,000 after buying an additional 3,596 shares during the last quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Shell by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. now owns 156,733 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $11,517,000 after acquiring an additional 7,083 shares during the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. raised its position in shares of Shell by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 40,846 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,001,000 after purchasing an additional 1,782 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of Shell by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 38,241 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $2,810,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares during the period. Finally, Integrated Investment Consultants LLC increased its stake in Shell by 489.8% in the 4th quarter. Integrated Investment Consultants LLC now owns 19,569 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,438,000 after purchasing an additional 16,251 shares in the last quarter. 28.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Shell News

Here are the key news stories impacting Shell this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a $3.5 billion share buyback programme and increased the interim dividend by 4% — supportive for EPS/return metrics and shareholder returns. Share Buyback Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst at Seeking Alpha upgraded SHEL from “Sell” to “Hold,” noting that although 2025 results disappointed, external market factors (oil/LNG tailwinds) could improve prospects next year. SA Rating Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought a sizable block of call options (14,321 contracts), suggesting speculative or hedged bullish interest in the stock intraday.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target slightly to $77 and kept an “equal weight” rating — a modest tweak rather than a dramatic reassessment. Wells Fargo Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Shell selected PwC as its next external auditor (replacing EY) after a tender process — a governance/operational change that is unlikely to move fundamentals immediately. Auditor Appointment
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is exploring multibillion-dollar offshore gas opportunities in Venezuela — a potential long-term growth avenue but currently exploratory. Venezuela Investment Comments
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed expectations: adjusted earnings fell short and revenue missed consensus amid lower oil prices and tax impacts — reported as Shell’s weakest quarterly profit since 2021, which is the primary negative catalyst. Q4 Results / Profit Miss
• Negative Sentiment: RBC downgraded Shell to “Sector Perform” and cut its price target after a soft trading update and what it called a “double miss” on earnings — selling pressure risk from institutional re-rating. RBC Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Shell will pause new investments in Kazakhstan amid legal/arbitration disputes — a setback to growth/production visibility in that region. Kazakhstan Pause
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentators flag renewables/green-hydrogen investments as a near-term drag and potential source of write-down risk if projects underperform — a structural risk to margins and capital allocation. SA Note on Renewables Risk

Shell Company Profile

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.