Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Trading Up 4.8% - Here's Why

Shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) shot up 4.8% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $24.31 and last traded at $24.27. 1,304,755 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 70% from the average session volume of 4,400,312 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.17.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. HSBC upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $25.80 to $30.90 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Equinor ASA to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Equinor ASA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Equinor ASA has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $29.45.

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Equinor ASA Stock Down 0.9 %

The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $23.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.26. The company has a market cap of $66.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.19). Equinor ASA had a net margin of 8.49% and a return on equity of 20.33%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Equinor ASA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 16,288 shares of the company's stock valued at $386,000 after acquiring an additional 487 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 5,195 shares of the company's stock worth $123,000 after buying an additional 505 shares in the last quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Gallacher Capital Management LLC now owns 19,581 shares of the company's stock worth $464,000 after buying an additional 518 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 10.6% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 6,173 shares of the company's stock worth $146,000 after buying an additional 593 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 254.5% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,372 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. 5.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Equinor ASA

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.