Keating Investment Counselors Inc. Sells 36,978 Shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR)

Keating Investment Counselors Inc. lowered its position in Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Free Report) by 12.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 259,060 shares of the company's stock after selling 36,978 shares during the period. Equinor ASA accounts for about 1.9% of Keating Investment Counselors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Keating Investment Counselors Inc.'s holdings in Equinor ASA were worth $6,137,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Equinor ASA in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,933,000. GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in Equinor ASA during the third quarter valued at $2,509,000. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 52.1% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 86,174 shares of the company's stock worth $2,183,000 after acquiring an additional 29,516 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Equinor ASA by 11.2% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 94,267 shares of the company's stock worth $2,388,000 after acquiring an additional 9,512 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parametrica Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Equinor ASA during the third quarter valued at $724,000. Institutional investors own 5.51% of the company's stock.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

NYSE:EQNR traded down $0.27 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $23.22. The company had a trading volume of 3,619,596 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,472,292. The firm has a market cap of $64.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.46, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $23.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.66. Equinor ASA has a 52 week low of $21.85 and a 52 week high of $29.32.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 20.33% and a net margin of 8.49%. On average, analysts forecast 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 will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.03%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Equinor ASA's payout ratio is currently 37.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on EQNR shares. Pareto Securities upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Equinor ASA from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $25.80 to $30.90 in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. DZ Bank raised Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Danske upgraded Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average 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.