Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU) Short Interest Up 318.5% in February

Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU) (TSE:SU) saw a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 43,060,000 shares, an increase of 318.5% from the January 31st total of 10,290,000 shares. Approximately 3.4% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 4,470,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 9.6 days.

Suncor Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of SU stock traded up $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $38.28. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,809,095 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,401,910. Suncor Energy has a 52-week low of $33.79 and a 52-week high of $41.94. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $38.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.33. The stock has a market cap of $47.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.10, a PEG ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.12.

Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU) (TSE:SU) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. Suncor Energy had a return on equity of 15.37% and a net margin of 11.80%. Research analysts predict that Suncor Energy will post 3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Suncor Energy Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be given a $0.399 dividend. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 4th. Suncor Energy’s payout ratio is 45.22%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley cut Suncor Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. upgraded Suncor Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. StockNews.com lowered Suncor Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Bank of America began coverage on Suncor Energy in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $66.00 price target on shares of Suncor Energy in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.00.

Institutional Trading of Suncor Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SU. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its stake in Suncor Energy by 1,324.8% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 3,469,008 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $123,774,000 after buying an additional 3,225,543 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Suncor Energy by 39.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,706,616 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $346,298,000 after purchasing an additional 2,767,043 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Suncor Energy by 2,061.8% in the fourth quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. now owns 2,438,291 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $86,990,000 after buying an additional 2,325,503 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp raised its holdings in shares of Suncor Energy by 500.4% in the fourth quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 2,453,314 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $87,459,000 after buying an additional 2,044,680 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Suncor Energy by 97.4% in the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 3,734,572 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $133,250,000 after buying an additional 1,842,791 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.37% of the company’s stock.

About Suncor Energy

Suncor Energy Inc operates as an integrated energy company in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment explores, develops, and produces bitumen, synthetic crude oil, and related products.