Wall Street Zen Upgrades Shell (NYSE:SHEL) to Buy

Shell (NYSE:SHEL) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on SHEL. 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. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Shell from $89.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Shell in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Weiss Ratings lowered Shell from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Shell from $78.00 to $77.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Shell presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $83.76.

Shell Stock Performance

Shares of SHEL opened at $89.48 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.30, a quick ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $78.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $74.98. The company has a market cap of $254.45 billion, a PE ratio of 14.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.41 and a beta of 0.14. Shell has a 12-month low of $58.54 and a 12-month high of $89.91.

Shell (NYSE:SHEL) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The energy company reported $0.57 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.21 by ($0.64). Shell had a net margin of 6.52% and a return on equity of 10.34%. The company had revenue of $64.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $65.82 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Shell will post 7.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Shell

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SHEL. Colonial Trust Advisors lifted its position in Shell by 9.5% in the fourth quarter. Colonial Trust Advisors now owns 1,488 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $109,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Shell by 3.3% in the third quarter. Argent Advisors Inc. now owns 4,717 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $337,000 after buying an additional 150 shares during the period. First PREMIER Bank raised its holdings in Shell by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. First PREMIER Bank now owns 2,653 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $190,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC boosted its position in Shell by 25.1% during the 4th quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 846 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $62,000 after buying an additional 170 shares during the period. Finally, Seven Mile Advisory grew its holdings in Shell by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Seven Mile Advisory now owns 5,572 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $392,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. 28.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Shell News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Shell this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ongoing share buy‑backs — Shell has been actively repurchasing shares across 11–13 March as part of its on‑ and off‑market buyback programme, cancelling multiple tranches on European venues (LSE, Chi‑X, XAMS, etc.). Those repurchases reduce float and support EPS and the share price. Transaction in Own Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — Piper Sandler raised its price target to $106 and moved to an “overweight” stance, giving the stock visible upside from current levels and likely attracting buyers. Piper Sandler price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Deal potential in Venezuela — Reports that Chevron and Shell are close to large oil production deals in Venezuela suggest meaningful upstream growth optionality if agreements proceed, a longer‑term positive for production and cash flow. Chevron, Shell closing in on Venezuela deals
• Positive Sentiment: Bullish options flow — Unusual activity: ~24,213 call options traded (≈52% above typical volume), indicating short‑term bullish positioning by some traders that can amplify upside moves.
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate filings and annual report — Shell published its 2025 Annual Report and filed the Form 20‑F (standard disclosures); useful for fundamentals but not an immediate catalyst. Shell Publishes Annual Report and Accounts
• Neutral Sentiment: Emissions disclosure — The annual report shows emissions broadly stable around ~1.1 billion tonnes CO2e in 2025; relevant for long‑term ESG investors but unlikely to move markets immediately. Shell’s emissions broadly stable
• Negative Sentiment: Qatar LNG force majeure — Shell (and TotalEnergies) declared force majeure after a drone attack halted operations at Ras Laffan, disrupting LNG shipments and exposing Shell’s LNG trading/contract risk and potential short‑term revenue/earnings pressure for its LNG franchise. Shell Force Majeure In Qatar
• Negative Sentiment: CEO pay controversy — CEO Wael Sawan’s reported ~60% pay jump to ~£13.8m ($18–19m) for 2025 and a board proposal to raise his package are drawing negative attention on governance and could spook some investors sensitive to executive remuneration relative to profit trends. Shell CEO pay increase

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.