Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Increases Holdings in Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its stake in shares of Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E - Free Report) by 35.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 280,242 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock after purchasing an additional 73,511 shares during the quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA's holdings in ENI were worth $7,667,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in E. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in ENI during the fourth quarter worth $14,233,000. OLD Mission Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ENI in the 4th quarter worth about $4,882,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of ENI by 33.5% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 583,677 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $17,691,000 after acquiring an additional 146,431 shares during the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP lifted its position in ENI by 13.1% in the 4th quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 606,769 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $16,601,000 after acquiring an additional 70,507 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new position in ENI during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,189,000. 1.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

ENI Price Performance

NYSE E traded up $1.03 on Friday, hitting $26.50. The stock had a trading volume of 699,047 shares, compared to its average volume of 309,408. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $29.22 and a 200-day moving average of $29.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.27. Eni S.p.A. has a 52-week low of $24.65 and a 52-week high of $33.62. The company has a market capitalization of $44.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.73.

ENI Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th were issued a dividend of $0.3549 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 5.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 25th. ENI's payout ratio is 85.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of ENI from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $31.60 price target (down 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, ENI presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $31.60.

ENI Profile

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.