Analysts Set Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) PT at $18.24

Shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $18.24.

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $16.50 to $19.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $18.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Monday, August 26th. Hsbc Global Res downgraded Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. UBS Group dropped their price target on Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras from $19.40 to $18.10 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras from $15.40 to $17.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th.

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of PBR opened at $14.11 on Wednesday. Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras has a 1 year low of $12.90 and a 1 year high of $17.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $14.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.70.

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a Variable dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, December 27th will be paid a $0.227 dividend. This represents a yield of 16.3%. This is a boost from Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras’s previous Variable dividend of $0.17. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 27th. Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.59%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MAS Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras by 5.0% in the 2nd quarter. MAS Advisors LLC now owns 15,108 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $219,000 after acquiring an additional 720 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras by 65.4% during the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 2,391 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 945 shares in the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras by 15.5% during the first quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 7,226 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 970 shares during the last quarter. Ascent Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras by 8.2% during the third quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 13,722 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $198,000 after purchasing an additional 1,044 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aprio Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras by 7.2% in the second quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 16,668 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 1,115 shares during the last quarter.

About Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras

Petróleo Brasileiro SA – Petrobras explores, produces, and sells oil and gas in Brazil and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Exploration and Production; Refining, Transportation and Marketing; and Gas and Power. The Exploration and Production segment explores, develops, and produces crude oil, natural gas liquids, and natural gas primarily for supplies to the domestic refineries.