Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Upgraded at Pareto Securities

Pareto Securities upgraded shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America downgraded Equinor ASA from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Zacks Research cut Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered shares of Equinor ASA from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Equinor ASA in a report on Thursday, January 8th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and nine have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $24.71.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

NYSE:EQNR opened at $27.55 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.13 billion, a PE ratio of 14.50, a PEG ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.38. Equinor ASA has a 1 year low of $21.41 and a 1 year high of $28.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $24.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.30.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $25.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.31 billion. Equinor ASA had a net margin of 4.74% and a return on equity of 15.23%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current year.

Equinor ASA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This is a positive change from Equinor ASA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio is 64.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 86.2% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,318 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 610 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new position in Equinor ASA during the second quarter worth $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 119.2% during the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares during the period. New Millennium Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the 3rd quarter valued at $57,000. Finally, MAI Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 55.6% in the 2nd 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. 5.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Equinor ASA

Here are the key news stories impacting Equinor ASA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Equinor raised its quarterly dividend to $0.39 (5.4% increase vs. prior quarter), with an annualized yield around 5.6% and an ex-dividend date of May 15 — boosts income appeal for yield-focused investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates as higher liquids and gas production lifted EPS despite year-over-year revenue decline; this operational beat supports near-term earnings momentum. Equinor Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates on Higher Production Volumes
• Positive Sentiment: Management set a target of ~3% production growth for 2026 while cutting capital expenditures by about $4B — signaling improved capital discipline and potentially higher free cash flow. Equinor targets 3% production growth in 2026 while reducing CapEx by $4B amid market volatility
• Positive Sentiment: Pareto Securities upgraded Equinor from “hold” to “strong-buy,” adding buy-side pressure and validating the earnings/dividend story (report referenced via Zacks).
• Positive Sentiment: Signed a five‑year gas supply agreement with Dutch utility Eneco — a multi-year commercial win that supports contracted volumes and cash flow in Europe. Equinor signs gas deal with Eneco in the Netherlands
• Neutral Sentiment: Allocations of bonus shares to certain insiders under Equinor’s share savings plan were reported — a retention/compensation action that is informational but not necessarily directional. Equinor ASA: Notifiable trading
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and presentation were posted (useful for deeper read-through of drivers, hedging and guidance). Equinor ASA 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America downgraded Equinor from “buy” to “neutral,” which could temper buying momentum from institutional investors.
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target to $25 but maintained a “hold” rating — the PT sits below current levels, suggesting analysts still see valuation risk even after operational improvements. Finviz (TD Cowen price target note)

Equinor ASA Company Profile

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.