Wall Street Zen Upgrades PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) to Strong-Buy

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded PBF Energy to “strong buy,” although broader analyst sentiment remains “hold,” with one strong-buy, two buy, nine hold and four sell ratings and a consensus price target of $46.31.
• PBF reported a strong quarterly rebound, posting $6.22 in EPS versus a $4.15 consensus estimate and a $1.03 loss a year earlier; revenue rose 56.2% year over year to $11.68 billion.
• Shares opened at $72.13, near their 52-week high of $74.74, while insiders sold 3.4 million shares worth approximately $164 million over the past 90 days; institutional investors own 96.29% of the stock.

PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF - Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Saturday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on PBF. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d-)" rating on shares of PBF Energy in a report on Monday, May 11th. Zacks Research raised PBF Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup increased their target price on PBF Energy from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Freedom Capital upgraded PBF Energy to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on PBF Energy from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $46.31.

PBF Energy Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:PBF opened at $72.13 on Friday. PBF Energy has a fifty-two week low of $21.24 and a fifty-two week high of $74.74. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $49.20 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.91. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market cap of $8.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.12 and a beta of 0.11.

PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $6.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $4.15 by $2.07. PBF Energy had a net margin of 3.94% and a return on equity of 11.81%. The company had revenue of $11.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted ($1.03) EPS. The firm's revenue was up 56.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that PBF Energy will post 10.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other PBF Energy news, insider Control Empresarial De Capital sold 570,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.36, for a total transaction of $26,425,200.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 17,142,128 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $794,709,054.08. This trade represents a 3.22% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 3,396,570 shares of company stock worth $163,978,356 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 5.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of PBF Energy

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in PBF. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in PBF Energy by 127.9% during the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 6,327,255 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $171,595,000 after buying an additional 3,550,820 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its stake in PBF Energy by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,854,750 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $131,661,000 after buying an additional 60,294 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 11.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,366,331 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $207,953,000 after acquiring an additional 454,731 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 54.6% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,222,433 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $153,452,000 after acquiring an additional 1,137,533 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of PBF Energy by 147.4% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,772,258 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $83,639,000 after acquiring an additional 1,651,516 shares during the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting PBF Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting PBF Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings rebound: PBF reported second-quarter EPS of $6.22, versus the $4.05–$4.15 consensus range and a loss of $1.03 a year earlier. Revenue rose 56.2% year over year to $11.68 billion, helped by stronger refining margins, higher throughput and the Martinez restart. PBF Energy Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates on Higher Refining Margins
• Positive Sentiment: Cash generation and debt reduction improved: PBF reported $1.27 billion of second-quarter operating income, received a $250 million Martinez-related installment and reduced gross debt by more than $1 billion. Management also projected approximately $1.5 billion of cash by the end of July while targeting a midpoint of $850 million in 2026 capital expenditures. PBF Energy Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results PBF projects cash and capital expenditures
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns and bullish positioning: PBF declared a quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share, while unusual call-option activity suggests increased speculative interest following the earnings beat.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst target raised but rating remains neutral: Citigroup increased its price target from $65 to $74, implying only modest additional upside from the referenced price, while maintaining a “neutral” rating. This may limit incremental buying after the recent rally.
• Neutral Sentiment: Refinery maintenance deferred: PBF delayed planned turnaround work at three refineries, which could support near-term production and earnings but may push necessary maintenance into future periods. PBF Energy delays refinery turnaround work

PBF Energy Company Profile

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.

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.