Cerity Partners LLC Grows Stock Position in Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR)

Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) by 31.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,888 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 5,524 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Equinor ASA were worth $724,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 1.5% in the third quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 24,548 shares of the company’s stock worth $805,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. Panagora Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Equinor ASA by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,570 shares of the company’s stock worth $314,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the period. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Equinor ASA by 7.0% during the third quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,490 shares of the company’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. grew its holdings in Equinor ASA by 5.8% in the third quarter. Financial Counselors Inc. now owns 12,961 shares of the company’s stock valued at $425,000 after purchasing an additional 715 shares during the period. Finally, First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 7.7% in the third quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 10,770 shares of the company’s stock valued at $353,000 after buying an additional 770 shares in the last quarter. 5.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equinor ASA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EQNR opened at $27.12 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $29.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 1.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $84.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.94 and a beta of 0.85. Equinor ASA has a 52 week low of $24.44 and a 52 week high of $34.73.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.44). Equinor ASA had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 20.32%. The business had revenue of $29.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27.35 billion. On average, equities analysts predict that Equinor ASA will post 3.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.42%. Equinor ASA’s payout ratio is 25.06%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on EQNR. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Equinor ASA from $26.00 to $28.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. DZ Bank cut shares of Equinor ASA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 8th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $26.40 to $28.50 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equinor ASA presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.25.

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.