Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL) Shares Bought by Howard Capital Management Inc.

Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Shell plc (NYSE:SHEL) by 55.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,078 shares of the energy company’s stock after buying an additional 4,306 shares during the quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Shell were worth $757,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Shell during the 3rd quarter worth about $121,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Shell by 45.4% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 16,181 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $1,067,000 after acquiring an additional 5,050 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Shell by 18.3% in the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,142 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 641 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Shell by 6,510.1% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 352,649 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $23,257,000 after purchasing an additional 347,314 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ballentine Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Shell by 23.9% in the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 14,061 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $927,000 after buying an additional 2,713 shares in the last quarter. 28.60% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Shell Price Performance

SHEL opened at $66.67 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $202.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.28, a PEG ratio of 0.98 and a beta of 0.54. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $64.89 and a 200-day moving average of $66.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Shell plc has a 12-month low of $60.15 and a 12-month high of $74.61.

Shell (NYSE:SHEL) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The energy company reported $1.20 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by ($0.54). Shell had a return on equity of 12.75% and a net margin of 5.57%. Equities analysts forecast that Shell plc will post 7.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Shell Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $0.716 dividend. This is an increase from Shell’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.69. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $2.86 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.30%. Shell’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.97%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised Shell from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Shell from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $66.50 to $79.80 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Shell from $82.00 to $72.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Wolfe Research raised Shell from a “peer perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Shell from $86.00 to $82.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Shell currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $79.11.

Shell Profile

Shell plc operates as an energy and petrochemical company Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, the United States, and Rest of the Americas. The company operates through Integrated Gas, Upstream, Marketing, Chemicals and Products, and Renewables and Energy Solutions segments. It explores for and extracts crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; markets and transports oil and gas; produces gas-to-liquids fuels and other products; and operates upstream and midstream infrastructure to deliver gas to market.