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

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Redburn Atlantic upgraded Equinor ASA from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Equinor ASA from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays raised Equinor ASA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price objective 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 issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $29.45.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

Shares of EQNR traded up $0.52 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $23.58. 6,152,603 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,006,957. Equinor ASA has a twelve month low of $21.85 and a twelve month high of $29.32. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $23.93 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $24.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $65.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.83.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 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%. Analysts predict that Equinor ASA will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.94%. Equinor ASA's payout ratio is presently 37.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in EQNR. Reston Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Equinor ASA during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 363.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 1,928 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 1,512 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 5.51% of the company's stock.

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.