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

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Friday. Stock traders acquired 15,351 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 511% compared to the typical volume of 2,511 put options.

Equinor ASA Stock Up 4.4 %

Shares of Equinor ASA stock traded up $1.02 during trading on Monday, reaching $24.19. The company had a trading volume of 3,373,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,453,371. The company has a market cap of $67.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.79. Equinor ASA has a fifty-two week low of $21.85 and a fifty-two week high of $29.32. The firm's fifty day moving average is $23.93 and its 200-day moving average is $24.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.48.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by ($0.19). Equinor ASA had a return on equity of 20.33% and a net margin of 8.49%. On average, analysts anticipate that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current year.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.79%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. Equinor ASA's dividend payout ratio is presently 37.30%.

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Institutional Trading of Equinor ASA

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 46.6% in the 3rd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 77,163 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,955,000 after buying an additional 24,535 shares during the period. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 11.7% in the third quarter. Harvest Portfolios Group Inc. now owns 62,153 shares of the company's stock worth $1,574,000 after acquiring an additional 6,502 shares during the last quarter. Foster & Motley Inc. acquired a new position in Equinor ASA in the third quarter valued at approximately $407,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 52.1% during the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 86,174 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,183,000 after purchasing an additional 29,516 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Equinor ASA during the third quarter valued at approximately $2,509,000. Institutional investors own 5.51% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $25.80 to $30.90 in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Barclays upgraded Equinor ASA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $29.45.

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.