Equinor ASA Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:EQNR)

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors bought 5,378 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 107% compared to the typical volume of 2,598 put options.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on EQNR. Pareto Securities raised Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com cut shares of Equinor ASA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. DZ Bank raised shares of Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, HSBC raised Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $28.10.

Equinor ASA Price Performance

Shares of Equinor ASA stock traded down $0.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $26.05. 1,808,834 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,477,610. Equinor ASA has a 52-week low of $21.85 and a 52-week high of $29.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.19. The company has a market capitalization of $72.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.37, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.79.

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Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 expect that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current year.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Equinor ASA's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Equinor ASA by 254.5% in the 4th 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. Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Equinor ASA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Equinor ASA by 1,009.8% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,497 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 2,272 shares during the period. 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.