Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Cut to Hold at Pareto Securities

Pareto Securities downgraded shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Friday morning,Zacks.com reports.

EQNR has been the topic of several other research reports. DZ Bank raised Equinor ASA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Equinor ASA from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $40.40 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. UBS Group raised shares of Equinor ASA from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Equinor ASA from $25.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equinor ASA has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $34.61.

Equinor ASA Price Performance

EQNR opened at $41.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $122.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.87 and a beta of 0.35. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $30.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.29. Equinor ASA has a one year low of $21.41 and a one year high of $42.06.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $25.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.31 billion. Equinor ASA had a net margin of 4.74% and a return on equity of 15.23%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This is a positive change from Equinor ASA’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. Equinor ASA’s payout ratio is 64.21%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in shares of Equinor ASA during the fourth quarter worth $499,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 50,157 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,185,000 after buying an additional 723 shares in the last quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter worth $200,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 120,638 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,851,000 after acquiring an additional 4,220 shares in the last quarter. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd bought a new position in Equinor ASA during the fourth quarter worth about $448,000. Institutional investors own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Equinor ASA

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded Equinor from “Hold” to “Strong Buy”, boosting investor sentiment toward the name and supporting momentum into the tape. Zacks Research Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple Zacks pieces this week placed EQNR on top lists (momentum, income and value), reinforcing buy-side interest from retail and quant flows that follow Zacks Rank #1 recommendations. Are You Looking for a Top Momentum Pick? Why Equinor (EQNR) is a Great Choice
• Positive Sentiment: Operational progress: Equinor has begun drilling at the Raia project in Brazil (a ~$9B development) — a long‑duration gas project expected to start in 2028 that strengthens future gas production and revenue visibility. Equinor Begins Drilling at Raia, Strengthens Brazil’s Gas Supply
• Positive Sentiment: Another broker note: Morgan Stanley reportedly raised Equinor’s rating, adding institutional endorsement that can attract fund flows. Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider-related sale: Magnus Andreas Vadheim, a close associate of board member Geir Leon Vadheim, sold 25 shares at NOK 399 on March 27. The sale is very small in size and appears immaterial to company fundamentals, but it was disclosed under notifiable trading rules. Equinor ASA: Notifiable trading

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.