Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Downgraded by StockNews.com to “Buy”

StockNews.com cut shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Friday.

EQNR has been the topic of a number of other reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. 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 issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Equinor ASA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $29.45.

Equinor ASA Stock Down 1.3 %

Equinor ASA stock opened at $23.11 on Friday. Equinor ASA has a twelve month low of $21.85 and a twelve month high of $29.32. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $23.92 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.77. The company has a market capitalization of $64.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by ($0.19). Equinor ASA had a net margin of 8.49% and a return on equity of 20.33%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Equinor ASA will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 37.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Equinor ASA in the 3rd quarter worth $31,000. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Equinor ASA by 254.5% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter worth $33,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

About Equinor ASA

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.