PBF Energy Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:PBF)

PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock investors purchased 10,029 call options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 144% compared to the average daily volume of 4,118 call options.

PBF Energy Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE PBF opened at $46.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $36.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $32.96. The company has a market capitalization of $5.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -31.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.41. PBF Energy has a 12 month low of $13.61 and a 12 month high of $50.47.

PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.49 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $7.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $7.17 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($2.82) earnings per share. PBF Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that PBF Energy will post -1.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PBF Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were given a dividend of $0.275 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. PBF Energy’s payout ratio is -74.83%.

Key PBF Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Refining‑margin tailwinds and Martinez restart progress are lifting near‑term earnings expectations for refiners like PBF; investors are reacting as crack spreads improved and Martinez rebuild/restart moves toward target rates. PBF Energy jumps as refining-margin tailwinds and Martinez restart progress come back into focus
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho raised its PBF price target and flagged stronger upside potential, which can support buying interest after recent volatility. Mizuho Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Elevated call‑option activity — traders bought ~10,029 PBF calls (≈144% above average daily call volume), indicating short‑term bullish positioning that can amplify upside moves.
• Positive Sentiment: Positive long‑term/momentum write‑ups (Zacks/MSN syndication) highlight growth and style scores that may attract quant and retail buyers. Why PBF Energy (PBF) is a Top Growth Stock for the Long-Term MSN: Why PBF Energy is a top growth stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks style/momentum pieces highlight technical strength that can drive volume and short‑term moves but don’t change fundamentals by themselves. Here’s Why PBF Energy (PBF) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed institutional moves and analyst coverage — some firms added positions while others trimmed; Wall Street ratings remain varied, producing choppy sentiment. QuiverQuant coverage (institutional/analyst summary)
• Negative Sentiment: Large, repeated insider selling by the control shareholder (Control Empresarial De Capital disclosed multiple share sales, including 600,000 shares on Mar 17 and 49,200 on Mar 16), which can be interpreted as a conviction/lockup‑liquidity signal that may cap upside. SEC Form 4 — Control Empresarial De Capital sale
• Negative Sentiment: Consensus analyst view and median price target remain below current levels (MarketBeat shows a consensus “Reduce” and average target near ~$31–36 in recent tallies), implying limited analyst upside and downside risk if margins reverse. MarketBeat PBF overview

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of PBF Energy from $33.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating and issued a $34.00 price target on shares of PBF Energy in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on PBF Energy from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup upped their price objective on PBF Energy from $29.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Wolfe Research downgraded PBF Energy from a “peer perform” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $23.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Monday, December 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PBF Energy presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $31.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other PBF Energy news, insider Control Empresarial De Capital sold 903,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.62, for a total value of $38,490,122.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 26,469,098 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,128,112,956.76. This represents a 3.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 6,364,600 shares of company stock worth $251,096,536. Insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of PBF Energy

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in PBF. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in PBF Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $10,207,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in PBF Energy by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 547,546 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $16,519,000 after acquiring an additional 40,129 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of PBF Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $5,843,000. Allianz Asset Management GmbH increased its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 1,232.0% in the third quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 267,091 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,058,000 after purchasing an additional 247,039 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp lifted its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 264.9% during the third quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 96,856 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,922,000 after purchasing an additional 70,312 shares during the period. 96.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.