Barclays Reaffirms Buy Rating for Shell (LON:SHEL)

Shell (LON:SHEL)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Barclays in a report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports.

SHEL has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Shell in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane lowered Shell from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Shell to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Shell in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn lowered shares of Shell to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Shell has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of GBX 3,550.

Shell Trading Down 2.1%

SHEL traded down GBX 67 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching GBX 3,144.50. 223,059,500 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,751,694. The firm has a fifty day moving average of GBX 3,327.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of GBX 2,970.22. The stock has a market capitalization of £175.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.48, a P/E/G 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. Shell has a 52 week low of GBX 2,403.50 and a 52 week high of GBX 3,592.

Insider Transactions at Shell

In related news, insider Wael Sawan acquired 23,980 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 3,011 per share, for a total transaction of £722,037.80. Also, insider Sinead Gorman bought 15,841 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of GBX 3,011 per share, with a total value of £476,972.51. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Shell News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Shell this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q1 earnings: Shell reported nearly $7bn in profit and beat analysts’ estimates, largely due to higher oil prices and a trading boost from Middle East disruption. NYTimes: Shell Reports Nearly $7 Billion Profit
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns: the company announced a $3.0bn share buyback programme (approx. three months) and an interim dividend of US$0.3906 per share — both supportive for EPS and shareholder value. Shell buyback announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Asset development tie-up: Shell and INEOS agreed to pursue Gulf of Mexico exploration prospects, adding optional future production upside. INEOS, Shell to develop Gulf of Mexico prospects
• Neutral Sentiment: Portfolio actions: Shell said it is reshaping its portfolio and highlighted operational focus amid “unprecedented disruption,” which is strategic but creates near-term execution questions. TipRanks: Shell reshapes portfolio
• Negative Sentiment: Production warning: Shell flagged lower production prospects because of the Middle East conflict, which could pressure volumes and sustainable cash flow going forward. MSN: warns of lower production
• Negative Sentiment: Investor caution on buybacks/quality of earnings: some reports say Shell slowed the pace of buybacks or delivered mixed messaging on capital returns; plus much of the profit uplift stems from trading and price spikes — investors are wary this may not be repeatable. This combination helps explain the stock decline despite the beat. Yahoo Finance: beats estimates, reduces buyback pace

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.