Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Short Interest Update

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) saw a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,020,000 shares, a growth of 39.8% from the January 31st total of 13,610,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,670,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.2 days. Approximately 0.7% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Equinor ASA Price Performance

NYSE:EQNR traded down $0.19 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $22.30. 1,482,574 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,436,710. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $23.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.27 billion, a PE ratio of 7.17, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.79. Equinor ASA has a 1-year low of $21.85 and a 1-year high of $29.32. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.36 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 (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%. Research analysts expect that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.28%. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.30%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equinor ASA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EQNR. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its position in Equinor ASA by 254.5% during 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 period. Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 1,009.8% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,497 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 2,272 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on EQNR. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Hsbc Global Res raised Equinor ASA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. Berenberg Bank raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. Danske raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Equinor ASA from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Equinor ASA presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $29.45.

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.