Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Raises Holdings in Shell PLC Unsponsored ADR (NYSE:SHEL)

Key Points

• Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its stake in Shell PLC by 3.6%, owning 381,127 shares worth approximately $27.93 million as of their latest SEC filing.
• Shell recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.716 per share with an annualized yield of 4.0% and also approved a $3.5 billion stock buyback program.
• Analysts have mixed sentiments towards Shell, with an average price target of $78.64 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" based on evaluations from multiple investment firms.

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its position in Shell PLC Unsponsored ADR (NYSE:SHEL - Free Report) by 3.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 381,127 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,111 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC's holdings in Shell were worth $27,929,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in SHEL. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Shell during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Kennebec Savings Bank purchased a new position in Shell during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. raised its stake in Shell by 103.4% during the 1st quarter. Brown Lisle Cummings Inc. now owns 356 shares of the energy company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the period. Cheviot Value Management LLC purchased a new position in Shell during the first quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Shell in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.60% of the company's stock.

Shell Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SHEL traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $72.25. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,584,312 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,185,663. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $70.80 and a 200 day moving average of $68.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $213.57 billion, a PE ratio of 16.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Shell PLC Unsponsored ADR has a twelve month low of $58.54 and a twelve month high of $74.18.

Shell (NYSE:SHEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The energy company reported $1.42 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $66.44 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $69.31 billion. Shell had a return on equity of 10.67% and a net margin of 4.93%. On average, equities analysts expect that Shell PLC Unsponsored ADR will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Shell Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.716 per share. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Shell's payout ratio is presently 64.41%.

Shell declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Friday, May 2nd that authorizes the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the energy company to reacquire up to 1.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SHEL has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Shell from $82.00 to $76.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Shell from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Santander lowered Shell to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Shell in a research report on Friday, July 11th. Finally, HSBC reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $78.30 price target (down from $78.90) on shares of Shell in a research report on Monday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $78.64.

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.