Shell (NYSE:SHEL) Stock Rating Lowered by Morgan Stanley

Shell (NYSE:SHEL) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on SHEL. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered shares of Shell from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Shell from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Shell from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Shell from $89.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, UBS Group cut Shell from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $84.05.

Shell Price Performance

SHEL stock opened at $91.87 on Tuesday. Shell has a 52-week low of $58.54 and a 52-week high of $92.95. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a market cap of $260.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.14. The business has a fifty day moving average of $81.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.00.

Shell (NYSE:SHEL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The energy company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.21 by ($0.07). The business had revenue of $64.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $65.82 billion. Shell had a net margin of 6.52% and a return on equity of 10.34%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Shell will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Shell

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in Shell by 187.5% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 316,216 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $23,236,000 after buying an additional 677,746 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Shell by 13.2% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,445,346 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $103,386,000 after acquiring an additional 167,983 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its stake in shares of Shell by 30.4% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 180,630 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $13,273,000 after acquiring an additional 42,129 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Shell by 119.7% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 42,664 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $3,135,000 after purchasing an additional 23,243 shares during the period. Finally, Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Shell by 111.5% during the 4th quarter. Beese Fulmer Investment Management Inc. now owns 42,090 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $3,093,000 after purchasing an additional 22,187 shares in the last quarter. 28.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Shell

Here are the key news stories impacting Shell this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Continued share buybacks — Shell reported on 24–25 March that it purchased several hundred thousand shares on multiple venues as part of its existing buy‑back programme, supporting EPS and signaling management confidence. Transaction in Own Shares (25 Mar)
• Positive Sentiment: Adura (Shell‑Equinor JV) secured a $3 billion reserve‑based lending facility — the financing reduces project execution risk and eases funding for UK North Sea operations, supporting medium‑term production plans. Shell-Equinor JV Adura secures $3B lending facility
• Positive Sentiment: Strategic portfolio tweak — reports say Shell is preparing an auction of its European onshore renewables business, signaling a tilt toward higher‑return assets and capital redeployment. This could boost free cash flow if proceeds are used for buybacks/debt reduction. Shell Qatar LNG Shock And Renewables Sale Plans Test Valuation Story
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst consensus remains cautious — the ADR has an average “Hold” rating from analysts, reflecting mixed views on near‑term catalysts vs. longer‑term strategy. Shell receives average recommendation of “Hold”
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary highlights volatility — sector commentary points to geopolitical tensions and inflation as drivers of swings in energy names, implying higher short‑term trading risk. Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Shell
• Negative Sentiment: Qatar LNG disruption and possible force majeure — a shutdown at Ras Laffan after an attack has forced Shell to assess LNG contract impacts and declare force majeure on some supplies to Asian buyers, creating revenue/contract risk and raising regional spot prices. Shell Qatar LNG Shock And Renewables Sale Plans Test Valuation Story
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical supply risk flagged by CEO — Shell’s CEO warned at CERAWeek that the Iran conflict could squeeze fuel supplies into Europe, adding to operational uncertainty and potential costs. CERAWEEK Energy security key to national security, Shell CEO says
• Negative Sentiment: Broker downgrade and rising short interest — Morgan Stanley cut Shell to “equal weight,” and short interest rose in March, signaling increased investor skepticism that could pressure the stock if negative news continues. Finviz (Morgan Stanley downgrade)

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.