Investors Purchase High Volume of PBF Energy Call Options (NYSE:PBF)

PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE:PBF) was the target of unusually large options trading activity on Thursday. Investors bought 10,029 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 144% compared to the average daily volume of 4,118 call options.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other PBF Energy news, insider Control Empresarial De Capital sold 903,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.62, for a total transaction of $38,490,122.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 6,367,179 shares of company stock valued at $251,164,080 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 5.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of PBF Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PBF. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 63.6% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 30,932 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 12,025 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 59,723 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,140,000 after purchasing an additional 2,609 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of PBF Energy by 4.9% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 261,704 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,996,000 after purchasing an additional 12,289 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in PBF Energy by 261.0% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 3,256 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,354 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its holdings in PBF Energy by 5.7% in the second quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 11,734 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $254,000 after purchasing an additional 629 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.29% of the company’s stock.

PBF Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Refining?margin tailwinds and Martinez restart progress — Market indicators for gasoline/diesel crack spreads have improved in March and PBF’s Martinez rebuild/restart is reported to be advancing toward targeted operating rates, boosting near?term earnings expectations for refiners like PBF. PBF Energy jumps as refining-margin tailwinds and Martinez restart progress come back into focus
• Positive Sentiment: Unusual bullish options activity — Traders bought ~10,029 call contracts in a single session (about +144% vs. average daily call volume), suggesting short?term speculative or hedged bullish positioning that can amplify intraday upside.
• Positive Sentiment: Mizuho lifted its price target / bullish coverage flow — Mizuho raised its target to $45, which narrows perceived downside and can support buy?side interest following recent volatility. Mizuho Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for PBF Energy
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks highlights momentum characteristics — A momentum/style write?up may attract short?term traders and quant/momentum flows but does not change fundamentals. Here’s Why PBF Energy (PBF) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO compensation disclosure — A DEF14A?based report shows CEO Matthew Lucey’s 2025 pay declined ~12% vs. 2024; notable for governance readers but unlikely to be a primary stock driver. PBF Energy Inc. ($PBF) President and CEO 2025 Pay Revealed
• Negative Sentiment: Large, repeated insider selling by controlling shareholder — Control Empresarial De Capital has disclosed multiple recent sales (including a 600,000?share sale at ~\$44.43 and other sales this month), totaling tens of millions of dollars; persistent selling from the control shareholder can be perceived as a negative conviction/governance signal and may cap upside while it continues. SEC Form 4 — Control Empresarial De Capital sale

PBF Energy Stock Performance

Shares of PBF Energy stock traded up $2.50 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $49.59. The company had a trading volume of 1,168,064 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,681,180. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $32.86. The stock has a market cap of $5.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -33.79, a PEG ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.21 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 $50.25.

PBF Energy (NYSE:PBF) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The oil and gas company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by $0.64. The company had revenue of $7.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $7.17 billion. PBF Energy had a negative net margin of 0.54% and a negative return on equity of 8.86%. PBF Energy’s revenue was down 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($2.82) EPS. As a group, analysts predict that PBF Energy will post -1.12 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

PBF Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th were given a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 25th. PBF Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently -74.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on PBF shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of PBF Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Tudor Pickering raised shares of PBF Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research raised PBF Energy from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Mizuho increased their price objective on PBF Energy from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and issued a $34.00 price objective on shares of PBF Energy in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $31.69.

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.