Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL) Shares Acquired by Two Sigma Advisers LP

Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its position in shares of Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL - Free Report) by 53.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,003,200 shares of the energy company's stock after purchasing an additional 348,300 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in Shell were worth $62,850,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Valley National Advisers Inc. grew its stake in Shell by 930.2% in the 4th quarter. Valley National Advisers Inc. now owns 443 shares of the energy company's stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 400 shares during the period. CoreFirst Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Shell during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in Shell in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Shell during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Shell in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. 28.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Shell Stock Up 0.5%

Shell stock traded up $0.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $66.26. 3,064,455 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,292,460. The company's 50-day moving average is $66.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $65.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.35. Shell plc has a 52-week low of $58.55 and a 52-week high of $74.46. The firm has a market cap of $199.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.20, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.38.

Shell (NYSE:SHEL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The energy company reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.54 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $69.23 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $79.18 billion. Shell had a return on equity of 12.75% and a net margin of 5.57%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.40 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Shell plc will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Shell announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Friday, May 2nd that permits the company to buyback $3.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the energy company to buy up to 1.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Shell Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.716 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $2.86 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.32%. Shell's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.90%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on SHEL shares. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Shell in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Shell in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. TD Securities reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Shell in a report on Friday, April 4th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Shell from $83.00 to $80.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Scotiabank lowered their price target on Shell from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Shell has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $78.35.

Shell Profile

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.