Eni SpA (NYSE:E) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Eni SpA (NYSE:E) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $42.30.

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded ENI from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $64.30 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Dbs Bank upgraded ENI from a “hold” rating to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 28th. Erste Group Bank upgraded ENI to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded ENI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded ENI from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th.

Key ENI News

Here are the key news stories impacting ENI this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Eni and Petronas officially launched Searah, a 50-50 Southeast Asian energy JV designed to grow output and strengthen Eni’s position in Indonesia and Malaysia. Eni and Petronas launch gas joint venture in Southeast Asia
• Positive Sentiment: The Searah deal is being described as a major growth platform with expected investments above $20 billion, which could support future reserve development and production growth. Eni launches Searah, a joint venture with Petronas in Southeast Asia. Investments expected to exceed $20 billion.
• Positive Sentiment: Eni also expanded its West Africa exploration portfolio by winning access to The Gambia’s offshore Block A1, adding frontier exploration upside. Eni Expands West Africa Exploration Portfolio With The Gambia Block A1
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary on Eni’s valuation after the Searah announcement suggests the market is still assessing how much value the new JV will add near term. Eni (BIT:ENI) Valuation Check After Launch Of Searah Joint Venture With Petronas
• Negative Sentiment: One recent note said analysts set a price target of $42.30 for Eni, which may temper enthusiasm despite the growth news. Analysts Set Eni SpA (NYSE:E) Price Target at $42.30

ENI Trading Down 1.3%

ENI stock opened at $53.62 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $54.78 and a 200 day moving average of $46.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.81, a P/E/G ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.38. ENI has a 12-month low of $31.06 and a 12-month high of $58.00. The company has a current ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

ENI (NYSE:E) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, March 31st. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.79 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $23.22 billion during the quarter. ENI had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 9.21%. As a group, research analysts predict that ENI will post 6.08 earnings per share for the current year.

ENI Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 19th were paid a $0.6313 dividend. This represents a $2.53 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 19th. This is a positive change from ENI’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.61. ENI’s dividend payout ratio is currently 99.43%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in E. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in ENI in the 1st quarter worth approximately $63,334,000. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in ENI by 6.6% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,113,710 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $108,824,000 after purchasing an additional 192,646 shares during the period. Capital Wealth Planning LLC boosted its position in shares of ENI by 109.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 306,408 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $11,962,000 after acquiring an additional 160,324 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of ENI by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 636,891 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $22,259,000 after acquiring an additional 158,699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Optiver Holding B.V. bought a new position in shares of ENI during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $6,586,000. 1.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

ENI Company Profile

ENI S.p.A. is an integrated energy company headquartered in Rome, Italy, founded in 1953 as a state-established hydrocarbon entity and later transformed into a publicly traded multinational. The firm’s activities span the full hydrocarbon value chain and extend into power generation and low?carbon energy solutions. ENI maintains a long history in exploration and production, engineering and project development, and downstream operations that include refining, petrochemicals and retail fuel distribution.

Core businesses include upstream exploration and production of oil and natural gas, midstream and liquefied natural gas (LNG) handling, and downstream refining and marketing of petroleum products and lubricants.