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

PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF) saw unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 7,100 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 69% compared to the average daily volume of 4,213 call options.

PBF Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong earnings rebound: PBF reported second-quarter EPS of $6.22, versus the $4.05–$4.15 consensus range and a loss of $1.03 a year earlier. Revenue rose 56.2% year over year to $11.68 billion, helped by stronger refining margins, higher throughput and the Martinez restart. PBF Energy Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates on Higher Refining Margins
• Positive Sentiment: Cash generation and debt reduction improved: PBF reported $1.27 billion of second-quarter operating income, received a $250 million Martinez-related installment and reduced gross debt by more than $1 billion. Management also projected approximately $1.5 billion of cash by the end of July while targeting a midpoint of $850 million in 2026 capital expenditures. PBF Energy Announces Second Quarter 2026 Results PBF projects cash and capital expenditures
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns and bullish positioning: PBF declared a quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share, while unusual call-option activity suggests increased speculative interest following the earnings beat.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst target raised but rating remains neutral: Citigroup increased its price target from $65 to $74, implying only modest additional upside from the referenced price, while maintaining a “neutral” rating. This may limit incremental buying after the recent rally.
• Neutral Sentiment: Refinery maintenance deferred: PBF delayed planned turnaround work at three refineries, which could support near-term production and earnings but may push necessary maintenance into future periods. PBF Energy delays refinery turnaround work

Analyst Ratings Changes

PBF has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of PBF Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of PBF Energy from $51.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of PBF Energy from $65.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of PBF Energy from $28.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on PBF Energy from $48.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have given a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, PBF Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.31.

Insider Transactions at PBF Energy

In other PBF Energy news, insider Control Empresarial De Capital sold 220,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.96, for a total transaction of $14,071,200.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 15,492,128 shares in the company, valued at approximately $990,876,506.88. This trade represents a 1.40% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 3,396,570 shares of company stock valued at $163,978,356. Corporate insiders own 5.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of PBF Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 127.9% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 6,327,255 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $171,595,000 after purchasing an additional 3,550,820 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,854,750 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $131,661,000 after purchasing an additional 60,294 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 11.6% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,366,331 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $207,953,000 after purchasing an additional 454,731 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of PBF Energy by 54.6% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 3,222,433 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $153,452,000 after buying an additional 1,137,533 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in shares of PBF Energy by 147.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,772,258 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $83,639,000 after buying an additional 1,651,516 shares in the last quarter. 96.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

PBF Energy Trading Down 1.3%

PBF stock opened at $72.13 on Friday. PBF Energy has a 1-year low of $21.24 and a 1-year high of $74.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $8.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.38, a PEG ratio of 0.12 and a beta of 0.11. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.91.

PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $6.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.15 by $2.07. PBF Energy had a net margin of 3.94% and a return on equity of 11.81%. The business had revenue of $11.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.61 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($1.03) EPS. The company’s revenue was up 56.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that PBF Energy will post 10.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

PBF Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 28th. Investors of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. PBF Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.65%.

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.