Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E) Short Interest Update

Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E - Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 631,800 shares, a decrease of 31.2% from the March 15th total of 918,400 shares. Currently, 0.0% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 306,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Institutional Trading of ENI

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of ENI by 277.5% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 30,974 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $939,000 after acquiring an additional 22,768 shares in the last quarter. Stifel Financial Corp lifted its position in ENI by 248.5% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 36,479 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $1,106,000 after acquiring an additional 26,013 shares during the last quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP boosted its stake in ENI by 13.1% in the fourth quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 606,769 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $16,601,000 after acquiring an additional 70,507 shares in the last quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of ENI during the fourth quarter worth about $4,882,000. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA purchased a new stake in shares of ENI in the 4th quarter valued at about $803,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.18% of the company's stock.

ENI Trading Down 0.7 %

E traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $28.28. 333,541 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 316,098. The company has a market cap of $47.74 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.73. 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 firm's fifty day moving average is $29.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.92. ENI has a 1-year low of $24.65 and a 1-year high of $33.12.

ENI Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a -- dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.5391 per share. This is an increase from ENI's previous -- dividend of $0.35. This represents a yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. ENI's dividend payout ratio is presently 87.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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