Wells Fargo & Company MN Lowers Stock Holdings in Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E)

Wells Fargo & Company MN trimmed its position in shares of Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E - Free Report) by 6.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 230,765 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock after selling 16,024 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN's holdings in ENI were worth $6,314,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its position in ENI by 35.6% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 280,242 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $7,667,000 after buying an additional 73,511 shares during the period. OLD Mission Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of ENI during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,882,000. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in ENI by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 70,483 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $1,928,000 after acquiring an additional 3,104 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its stake in ENI by 33.1% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 32,841 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $899,000 after buying an additional 8,176 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of ENI by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 388,578 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $10,631,000 after purchasing an additional 35,363 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 1.18% of the company's stock.

ENI Trading Up 2.7 %

E stock traded up $0.76 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $28.44. 350,891 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 314,560. Eni S.p.A. has a one year low of $24.65 and a one year high of $33.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.00 billion, a PE ratio of 17.03, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.27. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $29.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.92.

ENI Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a -- dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be paid a $0.5391 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a yield of 5.5%. This is an increase from ENI's previous -- dividend of $0.35. ENI's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 87.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on E shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $31.60 price target (down from $37.50) on shares of ENI in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. UBS Group downgraded ENI from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded ENI from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $31.60.

About ENI

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.