Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Upgraded at Pareto Securities

Pareto Securities upgraded shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Equinor ASA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $25.80 to $30.90 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equinor ASA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.45.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

Shares of EQNR opened at $23.01 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market cap of $64.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.06, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a 50-day moving average of $23.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.87. Equinor ASA has a 12-month low of $21.85 and a 12-month high of $29.32.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by ($0.19). Equinor ASA had a net margin of 8.95% and a return on equity of 19.97%. As a group, research analysts predict that Equinor ASA will post 3.28 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 35.89%.

Institutional Trading of Equinor ASA

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its holdings in Equinor ASA by 363.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,928 shares of the company’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 1,512 shares in the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Institutional investors own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

Equinor ASA Company Profile

Equinor ASA, an energy company, engages in the exploration, production, transportation, refining, and marketing of petroleum and other forms of energy in Norway and internationally. It operates through Exploration & Production Norway; Exploration & Production International; Exploration & Production USA; Marketing, Midstream & Processing; Renewables; and Other segments.