Shell (LON:SHEL) Given Buy Rating at The Goldman Sachs Group

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs reissued a "buy" rating on Shell, but the analyst consensus remains a Hold (five Buy vs. six Hold) with a consensus price target of GBX 2,824.
• Shell reported roughly $6.9–7.0B in Q1 profit, announced a Q1 interim dividend of US$0.3906, and launched a $3.0B share buyback with repurchases already executed, boosting cash returns and near-term EPS support.
• The company warned Iran-related disruptions could cut production, and despite strong results the stock fell about 1%, signalling potential near-term volatility; insiders (including Wael Sawan and Sinead Gorman) also bought shares.

Shell (LON:SHEL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating reissued by equities researchers at The Goldman Sachs Group in a report released on Friday,MarketScreener reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on SHEL. Berenberg Bank restated a "buy" rating on shares of Shell in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Shell to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a GBX 3,850 target price on shares of Shell in a report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a GBX 44 target price on shares of Shell in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Shell in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of GBX 2,824.

Shell Stock Down 1.0%

Shell stock opened at GBX 3,104.50 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is GBX 3,331.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 2,973.70. Shell has a fifty-two week low of GBX 2,403.50 and a fifty-two week high of GBX 3,592. The firm has a market capitalization of £173.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.35, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 59.97, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Shell news, insider Wael Sawan acquired 23,980 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 3,011 per share, for a total transaction of £722,037.80. Also, insider Sinead Gorman acquired 15,841 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 26th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 3,011 per share, for a total transaction of £476,972.51. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Shell News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Shell this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Stronger-than-expected Q1 results: Shell reported roughly $6.9–7.0B in first-quarter profit, driven by higher oil prices and a boost to its trading unit amid disruption in the Middle East — this lifts near-term cash flow and supports earnings visibility. Shell reports bumper earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend maintained/increased: the Board announced a Q1 interim dividend of US$0.3906 per share, which supports the stock’s income appeal for yield-focused investors. Shell plc First Quarter 2026 Interim Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Share buyback program launched: Shell announced a $3.0B share buyback programme (~three months) to reduce share capital, a clear cash-return signal that can support EPS and the share price. Shell announces commencement of a share buyback programme
• Positive Sentiment: Executed repurchases: the company repurchased 1.23M shares (and filed transactions in own shares for 7 May), showing buyback execution is already underway. This is immediately accretive to remaining holders. Shell Repurchases 1.23 Million Shares Transaction in Own Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts reaffirm buys: Jefferies and Barclays have both reaffirmed "buy" ratings on SHEL, which can support investor confidence and limit downside. Jefferies reaffirms buy Barclays reaffirms buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Portfolio reshaping commentary: management highlighted active portfolio moves alongside Q1 results; longer-term impact depends on execution and which assets are divested or acquired. Shell lifts Q1 2026 earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Operational warning from Middle East conflict: Shell cautioned that the Iran-related disruptions could reduce production, a medium-term risk to volumes and underlying organic growth. That raises uncertainty about sustainability of elevated earnings. Shell warns of lower production
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed market reaction: despite the strong headline numbers, some outlets note the stock has fallen on investor concerns around buyback pacing and uncertain forward production — signalling profit-taking and short-term volatility. Why the stock is falling

Shell Company Profile

Shell is a global group of energy and petrochemical companies. Shell's strategy is to deliver more value with less emissions as we work to become a net-zero emissions business by 2050. As we navigate the energy transition through the next decade, we will leverage our global footprint, the trust in our brand, and our innovation and technology capabilities to be the energy company that customers and countries choose to be their partner. We are positioning Shell to become the investment case and partner of choice through the energy transition.

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