PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF) Given Average Rating of "Reduce" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: PBF has an average recommendation of "Reduce" from 15 analysts (5 sell, 8 hold, 2 buy) and a 12‑month average target of $32.92, versus a recent open near $46.01.
• Operational/results snapshot: the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.49 (beats a -$0.15 estimate) but still showed a negative net margin (-0.54%) and negative ROE (-8.86%), with analysts forecasting about -$1.12 EPS for the fiscal year.
• Insider selling has been heavy — insiders sold 11,316,825 shares (~$492.8M) in the last 90 days, including recent multi‑million dollar sales by a senior VP and a director.

Shares of PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Reduce" from the fifteen analysts that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $32.9231.

Several research firms have weighed in on PBF. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of PBF Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of PBF Energy from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of PBF Energy from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of PBF Energy from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of PBF Energy from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th.

PBF Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:PBF opened at $46.01 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $40.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.77. PBF Energy has a twelve month low of $13.82 and a twelve month high of $52.18. The company has a market capitalization of $5.38 billion, a P/E ratio of -31.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.25.

PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by $0.64. PBF Energy had a negative net margin of 0.54% and a negative return on equity of 8.86%. The firm had revenue of $7.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.17 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($2.82) EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that PBF Energy will post -1.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PBF Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. PBF Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -74.83%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Paul T. Davis sold 50,000 shares of PBF Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.48, for a total transaction of $2,574,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 183,426 shares in the company, valued at $9,442,770.48. The trade was a 21.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas J. Nimbley sold 50,000 shares of PBF Energy stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.62, for a total transaction of $2,531,000.00. Following the sale, the director owned 790,716 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $40,026,043.92. This trade represents a 5.95% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 11,316,825 shares of company stock valued at $492,838,557. 5.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PBF Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PBF. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 197.7% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 887 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 589 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PBF Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of PBF Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators grew its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 62.3% during the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,146 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 235.7% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,299 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 912 shares in the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About PBF Energy

PBF Energy, Inc is an independent petroleum refiner organized in 2008 and headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. The company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in July 2012 under the ticker symbol PBF. Since its formation, PBF Energy has grown through acquisitions and operational optimization, positioning itself as a leading supplier of refined petroleum products in the United States.

The company owns and operates five refineries located along the U.S. Gulf Coast, East Coast and in the Pacific Northwest, with a combined crude oil processing capacity of approximately 900,000 barrels per day.

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