Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF)

PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 14,762 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 392% compared to the average daily volume of 2,998 call options.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Control Empresarial De Capital sold 99,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.33, for a total transaction of $3,992,670.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 27,372,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,103,920,745.34. The trade was a 0.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Thomas J. Nimbley sold 200,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.07, for a total transaction of $8,014,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 790,716 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $31,683,990.12. The trade was a 20.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 3,054,879 shares of company stock valued at $108,052,950 over the last three months. 5.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On PBF Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of PBF. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its stake in PBF Energy by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 9,575 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of PBF Energy by 2.5% in the third quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 14,287 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $478,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in PBF Energy by 1.4% during the 3rd 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 position in PBF Energy by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Next Level Private LLC now owns 66,660 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,808,000 after buying an additional 378 shares during the period. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its position in PBF Energy by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 28,617 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $863,000 after buying an additional 432 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently commented on PBF. Zacks Research raised shares of PBF Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Wolfe Research lowered shares of PBF Energy from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $23.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Citigroup increased their target price on PBF Energy from $29.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Mizuho raised shares of PBF Energy from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $31.00 to $38.00 in a research note on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of PBF Energy in a report on Monday, December 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, PBF Energy currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $30.21.

PBF Energy Price Performance

PBF opened at $44.79 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.24 billion, a P/E ratio of -30.47, a PEG ratio of 5.33 and a beta of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $32.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $31.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. PBF Energy has a 12-month low of $13.61 and a 12-month high of $45.13.

PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.15) by $0.64. PBF Energy had a negative net margin of 0.54% and a negative return on equity of 8.86%. The business had revenue of $7.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.17 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned ($2.82) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that PBF Energy will post -1.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PBF Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 25th. PBF Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -74.83%.

PBF Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large bullish options activity — Traders bought 14,762 PBF call options (about a 392% increase vs. average), signaling short-term speculative optimism and likely contributing to upward price momentum. (source: options flow report)
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum into company updates — PBF climbed to a one‑year high as investors loaded positions ahead of business updates and the company’s participation in an upcoming conference, suggesting expectations for positive guidance or operational news. PBF Energy (PBF) Climbs to 1-Year High Ahead of Business Updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Trading volume and technical context — Intraday activity and volume ran well above average as the stock approached its 52‑week highs; that amplifies moves in either direction but currently reinforces the bullish run as momentum traders pile in. (market activity data)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — Control Empresarial De Capital reported two recent sales: 120,000 shares on March 2 at an average ~$38.33 and 99,000 shares on March 3 at an average ~$40.33 (combined proceeds ≈ $8.6M). The filings are available here: Control Empresarial Form 4. Insider selling can signal liquidity-taking or tax/portfolio moves and may temper rallies if sustained.
• Negative Sentiment: Director sale — Director Thomas J. Nimbley sold 200,000 shares on March 3 at an average ~$40.07 (~$8.0M). Post-sale his direct holdings fell materially; the SEC disclosure is here: Thomas J. Nimbley Filing. Large director sales are often viewed negatively by investors unless accompanied by commentary explaining the reason.

PBF Energy Company Profile

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.