PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) Trading 6.1% Higher – What’s Next?

PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF)’s stock price traded up 6.1% on Friday . The company traded as high as $35.33 and last traded at $35.0220. 269,181 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average session volume of 4,194,595 shares. The stock had previously closed at $33.00.

Key Stories Impacting PBF Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting PBF Energy this week:

• Neutral Sentiment: The company was the subject of a valuation/market-momentum piece that reviews PBF after recent share-price gains; that coverage can attract traders assessing upside vs. risk. Assessing PBF Energy (PBF) Valuation After Recent Share Price Momentum
• Negative Sentiment: An insider (Control Empresarial De Capital) disclosed a sale of 40,000 PBF shares on Jan. 22 at an average price of $33.79 (~$1.35M). While the seller still holds a very large stake, insider sales are typically viewed as a negative signal for investor sentiment. Insider Form 4 — 40,000 shares sold
• Negative Sentiment: The same insider also sold 9,000 shares on Jan. 21 at an average price of $32.91 (~$296k). Repeated small sales over consecutive days reinforces the near-term selling signal, even though the holder’s remaining position remains large. Insider Form 4 — 9,000 shares sold
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is weak: MarketBeat’s aggregation shows a consensus rating of “Reduce” (majority sell/hold, few buys), which can cap upside until guidance or fundamentals shift. PBF Receives Consensus Rating of “Reduce”
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks downgraded PBF from “Hold” to “Strong Sell,” a more aggressive negative stance that may prompt income/quant funds to reduce exposure and weighs on investor confidence. Zacks downgrade to Strong Sell

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on PBF. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of PBF Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, November 1st. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of PBF Energy from $37.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of PBF Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $27.00 price target on PBF Energy and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on PBF Energy from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and eight have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $30.14.

PBF Energy Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $3.87 billion, a PE ratio of -7.18, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $31.06 and its 200-day moving average is $29.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45.

PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.52) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.69) by $0.17. PBF Energy had a negative return on equity of 15.88% and a negative net margin of 1.78%.The business had revenue of $7.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($1.50) EPS. The business’s revenue was down 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that PBF Energy Inc. will post -1.12 EPS for the current year.

PBF Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th were paid a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 14th. PBF Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently -23.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at PBF Energy

In other news, SVP Trecia M. Canty sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.44, for a total transaction of $1,822,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 200,744 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,315,111.36. The trade was a 19.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Thomas J. Nimbley sold 250,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.51, for a total transaction of $8,627,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 790,716 shares in the company, valued at $27,287,609.16. This represents a 24.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 894,624 shares of company stock valued at $30,997,335. Company insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PBF Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 3.0% during the third quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 9,575 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in PBF Energy by 2.5% during the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 14,287 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $478,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in PBF Energy by 1.4% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 25,666 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $774,000 after buying an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Next Level Private LLC boosted its holdings in PBF Energy by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Next Level Private LLC now owns 66,660 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,808,000 after acquiring an additional 378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in shares of PBF Energy by 1.5% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 28,617 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $863,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.29% of the company’s stock.

About PBF Energy

PBF Energy, Inc is an independent petroleum refiner organized in 2008 and headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey. The company began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in July 2012 under the ticker symbol PBF. Since its formation, PBF Energy has grown through acquisitions and operational optimization, positioning itself as a leading supplier of refined petroleum products in the United States.

The company owns and operates five refineries located along the U.S. Gulf Coast, East Coast and in the Pacific Northwest, with a combined crude oil processing capacity of approximately 900,000 barrels per day.