Guardian Partners Inc. Takes Position in Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU)

Guardian Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU) (TSE:SU) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 269,222 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $10,311,000.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in Suncor Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 18,546,207 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $684,726,000 after purchasing an additional 333,440 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in Suncor Energy by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 10,132,812 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $361,227,000 after purchasing an additional 437,252 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Suncor Energy by 39.9% during the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 9,706,616 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $346,298,000 after purchasing an additional 2,767,043 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Suncor Energy by 7.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 5,891,596 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $220,955,000 after purchasing an additional 413,797 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Suncor Energy by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,457,325 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $159,030,000 after purchasing an additional 99,669 shares in the last quarter. 67.37% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Suncor Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Suncor Energy stock opened at $37.46 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. Suncor Energy Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.81 and a twelve month high of $41.95. The stock has a market cap of $46.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.11. The company’s fifty day moving average is $38.22 and its 200 day moving average is $38.14.

Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU) (TSE:SU) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. Suncor Energy had a net margin of 11.80% and a return on equity of 15.37%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Suncor Energy Inc. will post 3.42 EPS for the current year.

Suncor Energy Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.399 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.26%. Suncor Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 45.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SU has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Suncor Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $66.00 price target on shares of Suncor Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Suncor Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Suncor Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Suncor Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.00.

About Suncor Energy

Suncor Energy Inc operates as an integrated energy company in Canada, the United States, and internationally. It operates through Oil Sands; Exploration and Production; and Refining and Marketing segments. The Oil Sands segment explores, develops, and produces bitumen, synthetic crude oil, and related products.