Scorpio Tankers Has $334M Net Cash and Reddit Is Still Treating It Like a War Bet

By David Beren Published Feb 26, 1:21PM EST

Scorpio Tankers Has $334M Net Cash and Reddit Is Still Treating It Like a War Bet — © Dikuch / Getty Images

Engaging in the seaborne transportation of crude oil and petroleum worldwide, Scorpio Tankers (NYSE:STNG | STNG Price Prediction) has moved from $3.1 billion in net debt in 2021 to a net cash position of roughly $332 million as of early 2026. That shift changes what kind of stock this actually is. Reddit sentiment sits at 90.8 out of 100, firmly “very bullish.” The catch: that score is driven almost entirely by one speculative post, not a broad income thesis.

WSB Is Playing a War Trade. The Balance Sheet Tells a Different Story

User stealnova dropped $90,000 into STNG call options betting on an Iran conflict:

$90k Iran War YOLO Oil Tanker Calls
by u/stealnova in wallstreetbets

“I’m pretty sure $STNG calls are the absolute best hedge if a war with Iran happens… it could go to $250+”

That post drew 147 upvotes and 111 comments with “low” activity, meaning concentrated enthusiasm from a small cohort. The reasons serious investors watch STNG have nothing to do with war scenarios.

An infographic titled — This infographic details Scorpio Tankers (STNG) as a “quiet income play,” highlighting its strong fundamentals and transformed balance sheet with a net cash position, juxtaposed with a very bullish social sentiment score driven by low-activity speculation.

Scorpio’s Q4 Makes the Income Case Without Geopolitics

Q4 2025 results:

Revenue of $252.65M, beating the $240.45M consensus
Net income of $128.1M, up 87% from $68.6M a year earlier
Average daily TCE rates of $28,066 versus $21,978 in Q4 2024, a 28% jump

For now, the company is looking at a cash position of around $937 million against total debt of $628 million. Management prepaid $154.6 million covering all scheduled amortization through December 2027, leaving near-term cash flows unencumbered by debt service.

The quarterly dividend rose to $0.45 per share, up from $0.42 last quarter, with the ex-dividend date set for March 6, 2026. The annualized payout runs $1.80 per share, roughly a 2.38% yield, backed by 10 newbuilding vessels delivering through 2029, all scrubber-fitted.

Analysts Are Aligned, but One Risk Deserves Attention

One of the key points here is that five of six analysts rate STNG a strong buy, with a 12-month price target of $79.0, compared with a current price near $75. To get there, the focus will be on things like the company’s LR2 tankers, which are fixing above $50,000 per day on key routes, and on structural ton-mile demand, which has grown roughly 20% since 2019 as refinery relocations force longer voyages. The variable worth tracking is the proposed US and China port fee regimes, which could affect certain vessels in Scorpio’s fleet. That’s the real risk, not oil price speculation.

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About the Author David Beren →

David Beren has been a Flywheel Publishing contributor since 2022. Writing for 24/7 Wall St. since 2023, David loves to write about topics of all shapes and sizes. As a technology expert, David focuses heavily on consumer electronics brands, automobiles, and general technology. He has previously written for LifeWire, formerly About.com. As a part-time freelance writer, David’s “day job” has been working on and leading social media for multiple Fortune 100 brands. David loves the flexibility of this field and its ability to reach customers exactly where they like to spend their time. Additionally, David previously published his own blog, TmoNews.com, which reached 3 million readers in its first year. In addition to freelance and social media work, David loves to spend time with his family and children and relive the glory days of video game consoles by playing any retro game console he can get his hands on.