Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E) Stake Increased by Forum Financial Management LP

Forum Financial Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E - Free Report) by 55.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,823 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock after purchasing an additional 10,223 shares during the quarter. Forum Financial Management LP's holdings in ENI were worth $789,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of ENI by 277.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 30,974 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $939,000 after buying an additional 22,768 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp grew its position in ENI by 248.5% during the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 36,479 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $1,106,000 after acquiring an additional 26,013 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP increased its stake in ENI by 13.1% during the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 606,769 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $16,601,000 after acquiring an additional 70,507 shares during the last quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of ENI in the 4th quarter worth about $4,882,000. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new position in shares of ENI in the 4th quarter valued at about $803,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 1.18% of the company's stock.

ENI Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of E traded up $0.76 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $28.44. 350,891 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 315,235. The firm has a market cap of $48.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.73. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $28.92. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Eni S.p.A. has a 12-month low of $24.65 and a 12-month high of $33.30.

ENI Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be given a $0.5391 dividend. This is a boost from ENI's previous -- dividend of $0.35. This represents a yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. ENI's dividend payout ratio is presently 87.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

E has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group lowered shares of ENI from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $31.60 price target (down from $37.50) on shares of ENI in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded ENI from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average 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.