Equinor ASA Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:EQNR)

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Tuesday. Investors acquired 5,378 put options on the company. This is an increase of 107% compared to the typical daily volume of 2,598 put options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

EQNR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded Equinor ASA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Danske raised shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Equinor ASA from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Pareto Securities raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $28.10.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. GeoWealth Management LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 1,009.8% in 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

Equinor ASA Price Performance

Shares of EQNR stock traded up $0.03 on Tuesday, reaching $25.57. 2,744,890 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,337,444. Equinor ASA has a 1 year low of $21.85 and a 1 year high of $29.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.48. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $23.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.16. The company has a market cap of $71.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.79.

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

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.48%. Equinor ASA’s payout ratio is currently 37.30%.

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.