Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 13,610,000 shares, a drop of 6.9% from the January 15th total of 14,620,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,780,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.6 days. Approximately 0.5% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on EQNR. Nordea Equity Research upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Danske upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a report on Thursday, February 6th. DZ Bank upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, HSBC upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $29.45.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EQNR traded down $0.31 during trading on Monday, reaching $23.11. The stock had a trading volume of 2,999,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,006,957. Equinor ASA has a 52 week low of $21.85 and a 52 week high of $29.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $23.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $24.73.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by ($0.19). Equinor ASA had a net margin of 8.49% and a return on equity of 20.33%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Equinor ASA will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.06%. Equinor ASA’s payout ratio is 37.62%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Reston Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the third quarter worth $31,000. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Equinor ASA by 254.5% during the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the fourth quarter worth $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

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.