Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) Hits New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) shares hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $14.98 and last traded at $14.9430, with a volume of 9910287 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $14.34.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on PBR shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in a research note on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group increased their target price on Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from $14.40 to $14.60 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $14.97.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Stock Up 4.4%

The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $12.37 and a 200-day simple moving average of $12.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $96.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.30 and a beta of 0.51.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by $0.03. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras had a return on equity of 23.32% and a net margin of 16.15%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras will post 2.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a special dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 26th will be paid a $0.0658 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 26th. Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras’s dividend payout ratio is 21.76%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of PBR. Financial Gravity Companies Inc. purchased a new stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the 2nd quarter worth $26,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 74.9% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 2,438 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,044 shares in the last quarter. Chung Wu Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras by 45.7% in the 2nd quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 2,875 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 902 shares in the last quarter.

About Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras

Petro?leo 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.