Manning & Napier Advisors LLC Lowers Stock Position in Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR)

Manning & Napier Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Free Report) by 8.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 170,179 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,291 shares during the period. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC's holdings in Equinor ASA were worth $4,032,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in EQNR. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Equinor ASA by 2.7% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 16,810 shares of the company's stock worth $480,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 4,804 shares of the company's stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 543 shares during the period. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Equinor ASA by 1.2% during the third quarter. Ipswich Investment Management Co. Inc. now owns 81,200 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,057,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in Equinor ASA by 9.2% during the second quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 13,900 shares of the company's stock valued at $397,000 after buying an additional 1,167 shares during the period. Finally, Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Equinor ASA in the third quarter worth approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 5.51% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Equinor ASA from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Equinor ASA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $25.80 to $30.90 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Barclays raised shares of Equinor ASA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, November 25th. Berenberg Bank raised shares of Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Equinor ASA from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $29.45.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE EQNR traded up $0.10 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $24.00. The company had a trading volume of 1,324,023 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,280,342. Equinor ASA has a 1 year low of $21.85 and a 1 year high of $29.45. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $24.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a market cap of $67.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 0.84.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.83%. Equinor ASA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.89%.

Equinor ASA 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.