Shell (NYSE:SHEL) Rating Lowered to "Hold" at BNP Paribas Exane

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Exane downgraded Shell (SHEL) from a "strong-buy" to a "hold" in a research note issued Friday.
• Several other brokers have trimmed ratings (Morgan Stanley, Rothschild & Co Redburn, RBC, Wall Street Zen), leaving Shell with an overall consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $92.90.
• Shell recently missed quarterly EPS expectations ($1.14 vs. $1.21), trades around $87.86, and has a market cap of about $248.8 billion with a 12‑month range of $63.88–$94.90.

Shell (NYSE:SHEL - Get Free Report) was downgraded by stock analysts at BNP Paribas Exane from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered Shell from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 24th. Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered Shell from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Shell from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of Shell from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Shell from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Monday, March 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and thirteen have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Shell presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $92.90.

Shell Price Performance

Shares of SHEL opened at $87.86 on Friday. Shell has a twelve month low of $63.88 and a twelve month high of $94.90. The stock's 50 day moving average is $86.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $78.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $248.82 billion, a PE ratio of 14.64, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38.

Shell (NYSE:SHEL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 6th. The energy company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by ($0.07). Shell had a net margin of 6.52% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The business had revenue of $64.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $65.82 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Shell will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Shell

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SHEL. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Shell during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Shell during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Shell during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position in shares of Shell by 186.7% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 473 shares of the energy company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nalls Sherbakoff Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Shell during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. 28.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Shell Company Profile

Shell plc NYSE: SHEL is a global integrated energy company that operates across the full oil and gas value chain as well as in developing lower-carbon energy solutions. The company traces its roots to the early 20th century merger of Royal Dutch Petroleum and Shell Transport and Trading, and today it is organized to explore for and produce hydrocarbons, process and refine them, manufacture petrochemicals, and market fuel, lubricants and related products under the Shell brand around the world.

Shell's principal activities include upstream exploration and production of oil and natural gas, integrated gas operations including liquefied natural gas (LNG), and downstream refining, supply and marketing.

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