Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $29.45.

EQNR has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Berenberg Bank upgraded Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Danske raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. HSBC raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of EQNR. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its position in Equinor ASA by 52.1% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 86,174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,183,000 after acquiring an additional 29,516 shares in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA during the 3rd quarter worth about $413,000. Chase Investment Counsel Corp increased its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 42.1% during the 3rd quarter. Chase Investment Counsel Corp now owns 54,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,367,000 after acquiring an additional 16,000 shares during the last quarter. Parametrica Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Equinor ASA in the third quarter valued at approximately $724,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 62.0% in the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 109,730 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,779,000 after purchasing an additional 41,981 shares during the last quarter. 5.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EQNR opened at $24.07 on Thursday. Equinor ASA has a 12-month low of $21.85 and a 12-month high of $29.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company has a market cap of $67.22 billion, a PE ratio of 7.74, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.26.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by ($0.19). Equinor ASA had a net margin of 8.49% and a return on equity of 20.33%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current year.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.30%.

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.