Shell (LON:SHEL) Receives "Buy" Rating from Jefferies Financial Group

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "Buy" on Shell with a GBX 4,400 price target, implying about a 27.13% upside from current levels.
• Analyst views are mixed — four analysts rate Shell a Buy and five a Hold, leaving a MarketBeat consensus of "Hold" and an average price target of GBX 3,383.33.
• Operationally Shell reports a near‑term boost from surging oil trading profits and ongoing share buybacks, but faces headwinds from production hits and a reduced gas outlook tied to the Iran conflict.

Shell (LON:SHEL - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "buy" rating restated by equities researchers at Jefferies Financial Group in a research report issued on Thursday,London Stock Exchange reports. They presently have a GBX 4,400 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective suggests a potential upside of 27.13% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on SHEL. Morgan Stanley cut Shell to an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Barclays reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Shell in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Berenberg Bank restated a "buy" rating on shares of Shell in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Shell in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Shell from GBX 3,600 to GBX 3,900 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of GBX 3,383.33.

Shell Stock Performance

Shares of SHEL traded up GBX 60 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching GBX 3,461. 1,678,461,500 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 37,698,793. The business's 50-day moving average price is GBX 3,158.75 and its 200 day moving average price is GBX 2,889.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 59.97, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 0.87. Shell has a twelve month low of GBX 2,289.69 and a twelve month high of GBX 3,592. The company has a market capitalization of £194.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.54, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.51.

Insider Activity at Shell

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

Key Stories Impacting Shell

Here are the key news stories impacting Shell this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Shell says oil trading profits surged and it expects "significantly higher" oil trading profits in Q1 — a near‑term earnings boost that helps offset production disruption. Shell Expects 'Significantly Higher' Oil Trading Profits in Q1
• Positive Sentiment: Shell continues active capital return via share buybacks and cancellations (transactions announced for 7–8 April), which reduces share count and supports EPS. Shell Continues Share Buy-Back with Multi-Venue Repurchases for Cancellation
• Neutral Sentiment: RBC reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on Shell — a sign analysts view near‑term upside as balanced by risk, so no immediate change in analyst stance. Shell NEU Gets a Neutral Rating From RBC
• Neutral Sentiment: Several media pieces reference "Jeff Shell" (Paramount) exiting his role — not related to Shell plc (SHEL); likely noise for investors but could cause headline confusion. Jeff Shell Steps Down as President of Paramount
• Negative Sentiment: Shell and peers report production hits tied to the Iran war — disruptions to operations and supply routes have forced cuts and create uncertainty for gas output and near‑term volumes. Exxon and Shell Reveal Production Hits From Iranian War
• Negative Sentiment: Shell cut its gas production outlook and flagged capital outflow pressures tied to the Middle East conflict — a downside to medium‑term production guidance and cash flow assumptions. Shell Flags Lower Gas Output, Capital Outflow Amid Iran Conflict but Sees Oil Trading Boost

About Shell

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.