Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. — Petrobras an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from six firms (2 holds, 3 buys, 1 strong buy), with a consensus 12‑month price target of $18.35.
• Recent analyst moves are mixed but tilt positive: Bank of America upgraded to Buy and raised its price target to $24.80, while Jefferies downgraded to Hold and cut its target to $19.00.
• Corporate and financial highlights: Petrobras declared a $0.1191 special dividend (ex‑dividend Apr 24, payable May 28); the company has a market cap of $141.03 billion, a PE of 7.20, and reported quarterly EPS of $0.45 with ROE of 24.26%.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the six research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $18.35.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $20.30 to $19.00 in a report on Friday, March 13th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from $14.40 to $14.60 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, March 22nd. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $18.70 to $24.80 in a report on Friday, April 17th.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE:PBR opened at $21.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.71. The company has a market cap of $141.03 billion, a PE ratio of 7.20, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 0.38. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras has a 52-week low of $11.03 and a 52-week high of $22.09. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.17.

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 business had revenue of $23.61 billion during the quarter. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras had a return on equity of 24.26% and a net margin of 22.01%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of PBR. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC grew its stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 273.4% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 2,330 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 1,706 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 74.9% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,044 shares in the last quarter. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Ascentis Independent Advisors bought a new position in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the first quarter valued at approximately $51,000.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Company Profile

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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