American Century Companies Inc. Grows Position in Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E)

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E - Free Report) by 10.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 388,578 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock after acquiring an additional 35,363 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc.'s holdings in ENI were worth $10,631,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in ENI by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,488 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the period. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of ENI in the fourth quarter worth about $103,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings in ENI by 93.4% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,449 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $122,000 after acquiring an additional 2,149 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its position in ENI by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 7,341 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $201,000 after acquiring an additional 484 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC acquired a new position in ENI in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $216,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.18% of the company's stock.

ENI Price Performance

NYSE:E traded down $1.64 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $26.50. 774,513 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 299,290. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market cap of $44.73 billion, a PE ratio of 15.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.74. Eni S.p.A. has a twelve month low of $26.12 and a twelve month high of $33.78. The stock's 50-day moving average is $29.48 and its 200-day moving average is $29.29.

ENI Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a -- dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be given a dividend of $0.3549 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a dividend yield of 5.1%. ENI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of ENI from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and issued a $31.60 price objective (down previously from $37.50) on shares of ENI in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, UBS Group lowered shares of ENI from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $31.60.

About ENI

Eni SpA engages in the exploration, production, refining, and sale of oil, gas, electricity, and chemicals. It operates through the following segments: Exploration and Production, Global Gas and LNG Portfolio, Refining & Marketing and Chemicals, Power & Renewables, and Corporate and Other Activities.