Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Friday.

EQNR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Equinor ASA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Pareto Securities upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Danske upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $25.80 to $30.90 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equinor ASA presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $29.45.

Equinor ASA Price Performance

EQNR stock traded down $0.31 during trading on Friday, reaching $23.11. 2,999,812 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,006,957. The company has a 50-day moving average of $23.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.73. The company has a market capitalization of $64.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.83. Equinor ASA has a twelve month low of $21.85 and a twelve month high of $29.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.38.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by ($0.19). Equinor ASA had a return on equity of 20.33% and a net margin of 8.49%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Equinor ASA will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Equinor ASA's dividend payout ratio is currently 37.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EQNR. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the 3rd quarter valued at $31,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equinor ASA by 254.5% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,372 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. 5.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.