Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $28.10.

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Nordea Equity Research upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Equinor ASA to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Pareto Securities upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th.

Equinor ASA Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of Equinor ASA stock opened at $25.18 on Thursday. Equinor ASA has a 1 year low of $21.85 and a 1 year high of $29.32. The firm has a market cap of $70.33 billion, a PE ratio of 8.10, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.36. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $23.89 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.17.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.19). Equinor ASA had a net margin of 8.49% and a return on equity of 20.33%. Analysts expect that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Equinor ASA’s payout ratio is 37.30%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GeoWealth Management LLC increased 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Equinor ASA by 1,009.8% during the 4th 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. 5.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.