Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Given Average Rating of “Reduce” by Analysts

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) has been given an average rating of “Reduce” by the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $22.7133.

Several research firms have commented on EQNR. Barclays reissued an “underweight” rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Equinor ASA in a report on Thursday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Equinor ASA from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

Equinor ASA stock opened at $26.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $23.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $24.27. The company has a market cap of $79.10 billion, a PE ratio of 12.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.36. Equinor ASA has a 12 month low of $21.41 and a 12 month high of $28.26.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 29th. The company reported $0.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.20). The company had revenue of $26.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $23.26 billion. Equinor ASA had a net margin of 5.27% and a return on equity of 14.34%. Research analysts expect that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.5%. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio is 57.82%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EQNR. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA in the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 119.2% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. MAI Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 55.6% during the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 2,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. New Millennium Group LLC acquired a new position in Equinor ASA during the 3rd quarter worth about $57,000. Finally, AlphaCore Capital LLC bought a new stake in Equinor ASA during the second quarter valued at $77,000. Institutional investors own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

About Equinor ASA

Equinor ASA (NYSE: EQNR) is a Norway-based integrated energy company headquartered in Stavanger. Historically established as Statoil in the 1970s to develop Norway’s petroleum resources, the company changed its name to Equinor in 2018 to reflect a strategic shift toward a broader energy portfolio. Equinor’s operations span the full upstream value chain, including exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas, alongside trading and marketing activities that support its global commercial operations.

In recent years Equinor has pursued a transition strategy that combines continued development of conventional oil and gas resources with growing investments in low‑carbon energy.