Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras $PBR Shares Sold by Advisors Preferred LLC

Key Points

• Institutional investor Advisors Preferred LLC cut its stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (NYSE: PBR) by 89.5% in Q4, selling 175,582 shares and leaving 20,609 shares valued at $246,000.
• Petrobras declared a special dividend of $0.1191 per share payable May 28 to shareholders of record on April 24 (ex-dividend date April 24), with a dividend payout ratio of 10.86%.
• PBR trades around $22.00 with a market cap of $141.7B, a P/E of 7.24 and a 52-week range of $11.03–$22.24, while analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a $18.35 target.

Advisors Preferred LLC cut its stake in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR - Free Report) by 89.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 20,609 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock after selling 175,582 shares during the quarter. Advisors Preferred LLC's holdings in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras were worth $246,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in PBR. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 74.9% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,044 shares during the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd acquired a new stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. BNP Paribas grew its stake in 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 valued at $54,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Finally, New Millennium Group LLC acquired a new stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the 3rd quarter valued at about $59,000.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Trading Up 0.4%

PBR opened at $22.00 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.24, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.38. The firm's 50 day moving average is $19.53 and its 200-day moving average is $15.22. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras has a 52-week low of $11.03 and a 52-week high of $22.24. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Sunday, February 15th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $23.61 billion for the quarter. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras had a net margin of 22.01% and a return on equity of 24.26%. Analysts expect that Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras will post 4.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.1191 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 24th. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on PBR. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Bank of America raised shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $18.70 to $24.80 in a research note on Friday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from $13.10 to $15.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $20.30 to $19.00 in a report on Friday, March 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $18.35.

About Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras

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.

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