HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 25,629 Shares of Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E)

HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E - Free Report) by 53.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 22,318 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock after selling 25,629 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC's holdings in ENI were worth $611,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its stake in ENI by 7.6% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 8,144 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $247,000 after acquiring an additional 576 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of ENI by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,488 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in ENI by 15.1% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 8,360 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096 shares in the last quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC increased its position in ENI by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. Flynn Zito Capital Management LLC now owns 8,992 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $246,000 after buying an additional 1,439 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC increased its position in ENI by 8.4% during the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 19,281 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $528,000 after buying an additional 1,498 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.18% of the company's stock.

ENI Stock Performance

E traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $31.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 196,317 shares, compared to its average volume of 295,172. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $29.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $29.38. The stock has a market cap of $52.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.65, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.90. Eni S.p.A. has a twelve month low of $26.12 and a twelve month high of $33.78.

ENI Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be paid a $0.3549 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a dividend yield of 5.1%. ENI's payout ratio is 83.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on E. StockNews.com downgraded ENI from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group cut ENI from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $31.60 price target (down previously from $37.50) on shares of ENI in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, ENI presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $31.60.

ENI Company 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.