Investors Purchase Large Volume of Shell Call Options (NYSE:SHEL)

Shell PLC Unsponsored ADR (NYSE:SHEL) was the recipient of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock traders purchased 14,321 call options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 55% compared to the typical daily volume of 9,252 call options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Shell from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Shell in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Shell in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. Royal Bank Of Canada cut shares of Shell from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, UBS Group downgraded Shell from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $81.33.

Trending Headlines about Shell

Here are the key news stories impacting Shell this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company announced a $3.5 billion share buyback programme and increased the interim dividend by 4% — supportive for EPS/return metrics and shareholder returns. Share Buyback Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst at Seeking Alpha upgraded SHEL from “Sell” to “Hold,” noting that although 2025 results disappointed, external market factors (oil/LNG tailwinds) could improve prospects next year. SA Rating Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual options activity: traders bought a sizable block of call options (14,321 contracts), suggesting speculative or hedged bullish interest in the stock intraday.
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its price target slightly to $77 and kept an “equal weight” rating — a modest tweak rather than a dramatic reassessment. Wells Fargo Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Shell selected PwC as its next external auditor (replacing EY) after a tender process — a governance/operational change that is unlikely to move fundamentals immediately. Auditor Appointment
• Neutral Sentiment: Management is exploring multibillion-dollar offshore gas opportunities in Venezuela — a potential long-term growth avenue but currently exploratory. Venezuela Investment Comments
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed expectations: adjusted earnings fell short and revenue missed consensus amid lower oil prices and tax impacts — reported as Shell’s weakest quarterly profit since 2021, which is the primary negative catalyst. Q4 Results / Profit Miss
• Negative Sentiment: RBC downgraded Shell to “Sector Perform” and cut its price target after a soft trading update and what it called a “double miss” on earnings — selling pressure risk from institutional re-rating. RBC Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Shell will pause new investments in Kazakhstan amid legal/arbitration disputes — a setback to growth/production visibility in that region. Kazakhstan Pause
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and commentators flag renewables/green-hydrogen investments as a near-term drag and potential source of write-down risk if projects underperform — a structural risk to margins and capital allocation. SA Note on Renewables Risk

Shell Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:SHEL opened at $75.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.35. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.27. The company has a market capitalization of $216.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.53 and a beta of 0.16. Shell has a 52-week low of $58.54 and a 52-week high of $79.30.

Shell (NYSE:SHEL) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The energy company reported $0.57 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.21 by ($0.64). Shell had a return on equity of 10.26% and a net margin of 6.52%.The business had revenue of $64.09 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $65.82 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Shell will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Shell by 51.7% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 7,463 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $468,000 after purchasing an additional 2,545 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Shell by 70.1% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 32,564 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,386,000 after acquiring an additional 13,419 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Shell during the second quarter worth approximately $201,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Shell by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 38,919 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $2,740,000 after acquiring an additional 2,665 shares during the period. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its holdings in Shell by 50.5% in the 2nd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 480 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. 28.60% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Shell Company Profile

Shell plc (NYSE: SHEL) is a global integrated energy company that operates across the full oil and gas value chain as well as in developing lower-carbon energy solutions. The company traces its roots to the early 20th century merger of Royal Dutch Petroleum and Shell Transport and Trading, and today it is organized to explore for and produce hydrocarbons, process and refine them, manufacture petrochemicals, and market fuel, lubricants and related products under the Shell brand around the world.

Shell’s principal activities include upstream exploration and production of oil and natural gas, integrated gas operations including liquefied natural gas (LNG), and downstream refining, supply and marketing.