Brokerages Set Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Price Target at $28.10

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $28.10.

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com downgraded Equinor ASA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a report on Thursday, February 6th. DZ Bank raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Equinor ASA from $30.90 to $28.20 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, HSBC raised shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equinor ASA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. GeoWealth Management LLC grew its stake 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 in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 2,272 shares during the last quarter. 5.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

NYSE EQNR opened at $23.25 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $23.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.12. 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 has a twelve month low of $21.41 and a twelve month high of $29.32. The company has a market capitalization of $64.92 billion, a PE ratio of 7.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.58.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Equinor ASA Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.304 per share. This represents a $1.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.30%.

Equinor ASA Company Profile

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.