Shell Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:SHEL)

Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors purchased 30,798 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 337% compared to the typical volume of 7,051 call options.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Shell

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. United Community Bank boosted its position in shares of Shell by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. United Community Bank now owns 3,315 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $222,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Shell by 3.7% during the first quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 4,223 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $283,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich raised its holdings in Shell by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 26,743 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,793,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Shell by 5.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 2,907 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $191,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Shell by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 3,918 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $263,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the period. 28.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SHEL has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Securities upped their target price on Shell from $74.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Shell from $88.00 to $91.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, TheStreet raised Shell from a “c” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.50.

Shell Price Performance

Shares of SHEL stock traded up $0.22 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $73.00. 2,116,303 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,678,833. The company has a market cap of $234.89 billion, a PE ratio of 13.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.59. Shell has a 52-week low of $55.78 and a 52-week high of $73.94. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $68.62 and a 200 day moving average of $66.05. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Shell Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.688 per share. This is a boost from Shell’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 16th. This represents a $2.75 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.77%. Shell’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 50.74%.

Shell Company Profile

Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, the United States, and Rest of the Americas. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Marketing, Chemicals and Products, and Renewables and Energy Solutions segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure to deliver gas to market.