Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E) Shares Sold by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. lowered its position in shares of Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E - Free Report) by 87.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,165 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock after selling 48,825 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.'s holdings in ENI were worth $196,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in shares of ENI by 30.5% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,488 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of ENI in the 4th quarter worth approximately $103,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in ENI by 93.4% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 4,449 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $122,000 after buying an additional 2,149 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its holdings in ENI by 7.1% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 7,341 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $201,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of ENI during the 4th quarter worth approximately $216,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.18% of the company's stock.

ENI Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:E traded down $0.25 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $28.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 226,326 shares, compared to its average volume of 317,413. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $29.00 and a 200 day moving average of $28.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.60 billion, a PE ratio of 17.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.73. 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 twelve month low of $24.65 and a twelve month high of $33.12.

ENI (NYSE:E - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $25.61 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.52 billion. ENI had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 11.03%. On average, equities analysts expect that Eni S.p.A. will post 3.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ENI Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a -- dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $0.5391 per share. This represents a dividend yield of 5.5%. This is a boost from ENI's previous -- dividend of $0.35. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. ENI's payout ratio is presently 89.82%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

E has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group downgraded ENI from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of ENI in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $31.60 target price (down from $37.50) on shares of ENI in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com lowered ENI from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic lowered ENI from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.