Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 31,410,000 shares, an increase of 23.6% from the December 15th total of 25,410,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 14,580,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras from $15.40 to $17.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $16.50 to $19.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. HSBC downgraded shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Hsbc Global Res downgraded shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.24.

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras Stock Performance

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras stock traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $13.71. The company had a trading volume of 9,978,850 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,723,927. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $13.71 and a 200-day moving average of $14.25. Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras has a 52 week low of $12.55 and a 52 week high of $17.91.

Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a — dividend, which was paid on Friday, January 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a $0.5338 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a dividend yield of 18.8%. Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.20%.

Institutional Trading of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. MAS Advisors LLC lifted its position in Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras by 5.0% in the second quarter. MAS Advisors LLC now owns 15,108 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $219,000 after purchasing an additional 720 shares during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its holdings in shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras by 65.4% during the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 2,391 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares during the period. Ascent Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras by 8.2% during the 3rd quarter. Ascent Group LLC now owns 13,722 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $198,000 after acquiring an additional 1,044 shares in the last quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras by 8.1% in the third quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,013 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 1,345 shares during the period. Finally, OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. – Petrobras by 12.6% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 12,549 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $181,000 after purchasing an additional 1,407 shares in 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.