Brokerages Set Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL) PT at $78.98

Shares of Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the fourteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $77.73.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on SHEL shares. TD Securities reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Shell in a report on Friday, April 4th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Shell from $87.00 to $83.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group raised shares of Shell from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. TD Cowen cut their price target on Shell from $82.00 to $76.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Shell in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th.

Shell Stock Up 0.4 %

SHEL stock opened at $62.81 on Wednesday. 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 has a 52 week low of $58.55 and a 52 week high of $74.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $189.91 billion, a PE ratio of 12.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $67.41 and a 200 day moving average of $66.15.

Shell (NYSE:SHEL) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The energy company reported $1.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.74 by ($0.54). Shell had a net margin of 5.57% and a return on equity of 12.75%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Shell will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Shell Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 24th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.716 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.56%. This is a boost from Shell’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. Shell’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.97%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Shell

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. FMB Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Shell during the 1st quarter worth about $231,000. apricus wealth LLC increased its stake in Shell by 14.8% during the 1st quarter. apricus wealth LLC now owns 30,240 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,216,000 after buying an additional 3,900 shares in the last quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of Shell by 8.2% in the first quarter. Braun Bostich & Associates Inc. now owns 3,997 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Shell by 14.5% in the first quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 11,972 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $877,000 after acquiring an additional 1,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Shell by 19.4% during the first quarter. Baker Ellis Asset Management LLC now owns 20,300 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $1,488,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. 28.60% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Shell

Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, the United States, and Rest of the Americas. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Marketing, Chemicals and Products, and Renewables and Energy Solutions segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure to deliver gas to market.