Wedbush Securities Inc. Purchases 19,434 Shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR)

Wedbush Securities Inc. increased its stake in Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Free Report) by 245.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 27,344 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,434 shares during the quarter. Wedbush Securities Inc.'s holdings in Equinor ASA were worth $648,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA in the third quarter worth $2,305,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 30.0% during the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 37,531 shares of the company's stock worth $951,000 after acquiring an additional 8,663 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 75,475 shares of the company's stock worth $1,912,000 after buying an additional 12,585 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Equinor ASA by 3.7% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,751,243 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,019,000 after acquiring an additional 132,157 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new position in Equinor ASA in the third quarter valued at approximately $3,685,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.51% of the company's stock.

Equinor ASA Trading Up 3.0 %

Shares of EQNR traded up $0.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $23.25. 4,453,036 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,533,823. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.47, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.58. The business's 50-day moving average price is $23.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $24.12. Equinor ASA has a 1 year low of $21.41 and a 1 year high of $29.32.

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Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share (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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.304 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $1.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.23%. Equinor ASA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.91%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Pareto Securities upgraded Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Equinor ASA from $30.90 to $28.20 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Nordea Equity Research upgraded Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $28.10.

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.