Traders Purchase High Volume of Put Options on Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU)

Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU) (TSE:SU) was the target of some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 28,315 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 2,998% compared to the average volume of 914 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SU shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Suncor Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Suncor Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $46.15 to $54.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Suncor Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Suncor Energy from $48.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Suncor Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Suncor Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $61.00.

Institutional Trading of Suncor Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SU. CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its stake in Suncor Energy by 64.9% during the 3rd quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 117,779 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,924,000 after acquiring an additional 46,342 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Suncor Energy by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 18,854,921 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $789,213,000 after purchasing an additional 106,765 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its position in shares of Suncor Energy by 15.6% in the second quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 315,278 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $11,818,000 after purchasing an additional 42,506 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Suncor Energy by 45.7% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 723,965 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,871,000 after purchasing an additional 227,197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its position in Suncor Energy by 314.8% during the third quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 627,313 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $26,246,000 after buying an additional 476,077 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.37% of the company’s stock.

Suncor Energy Price Performance

Shares of SU stock opened at $57.66 on Friday. Suncor Energy has a fifty-two week low of $30.79 and a fifty-two week high of $58.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.62 and a beta of 0.43. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $51.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.24.

Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU) (TSE:SU) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.79 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.77 by $0.02. Suncor Energy had a net margin of 11.99% and a return on equity of 12.51%. The company had revenue of $8.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.79 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.25 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Suncor Energy will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Suncor Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.2%. Suncor Energy’s payout ratio is 50.72%.

Trending Headlines about Suncor Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Announced fresh buyback and raised quarterly dividend (CA$0.60), which supports shareholder returns and likely underpins buying interest. Assessing Suncor Energy (TSX:SU) Valuation After New Dividend Hike Buyback And Fresh Annual High
• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results beat EPS expectations and triggered higher trading volume, reinforcing bullish momentum after earnings. Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU) NYSE Composite Volume Surges on Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Brokerages published a $61.00 price target, providing analyst support that can attract institutional buyers. Brokerages Set Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU) PT at $61.00
• Positive Sentiment: Positive media/analyst write-ups are highlighting Suncor as a top Canadian energy pick, which can lift sentiment and flows into the stock. The Best Canadian Energy Stock to Buy This Month
• Neutral Sentiment: Follow-up analysis pieces explain the ~8% rally since earnings and review forward estimates; useful context but largely descriptive rather than news-driving. Why Is Suncor Energy (SU) Up 7.9% Since Last Earnings Report?
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro note: analysts suggest Middle East tensions could boost demand for Canadian oil suppliers, a tailwind for Canadian producers but with execution/transport risks. Iran Conflict Could Turn Canada Into the Market’s Most Reliable Oil Supplier
• Negative Sentiment: A coalition of institutional investors has filed a major climate-governance proposal and Suncor’s board is urging shareholders to vote against it — a governance fight that could create short-term uncertainty or pressure if escalated. Suncor Board Resists Climate Proposal As Investors Weigh Governance And Buybacks
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual options activity: a large spike in put buying (≈28,315 puts) suggests some traders are hedging or betting on a near-term pullback — a sign of increased downside protection demand.

Suncor Energy Company Profile

Suncor Energy Inc is a Canadian integrated energy company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta. The company’s operations span the full oil and gas value chain, with principal activities in oil sands development and production, conventional exploration and production, refining, distribution and retail marketing of petroleum products. Suncor supplies crude, synthetic crude and refined fuels as well as related products and services to commercial and consumer markets.

Upstream, Suncor is a major developer and operator of oil sands projects in Alberta, using both mining and in situ technologies to produce bitumen and synthetic crude.