Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Receives Average Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus is “Hold”: Of 13 analysts covering Equinor, 10 rate it a hold, while one rates it sell, one buy, and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is $39.20.
• Shares are trading near their annual high: EQNR opened at $44.77, compared with a 1-year range of $22.26 to $45.54, and has a market capitalization of approximately $107.05 billion.
• Equinor reported slightly weaker-than-expected earnings but maintains a dividend: Quarterly EPS was $1.33 versus the $1.39 consensus estimate, while revenue broadly matched forecasts. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.39, representing a 3.5% annualized yield.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Hold" from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have given a hold recommendation, one has given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $39.20.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on EQNR shares. TD Cowen increased their target price on Equinor ASA from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, May 25th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Equinor ASA from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Equinor ASA from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded Equinor ASA from an "underperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EQNR. DJE Kapital AG purchased a new position in Equinor ASA in the first quarter worth $2,913,000. Gibbs Wealth Management bought a new position in Equinor ASA during the first quarter valued at about $1,189,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Equinor ASA by 24.6% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 182,992 shares of the company's stock worth $7,722,000 after buying an additional 36,122 shares during the last quarter. GTS Securities LLC bought a new stake in Equinor ASA in the second quarter worth about $2,162,000. Finally, Equitable Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Equinor ASA in the second quarter worth about $893,000. 5.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equinor ASA Price Performance

Shares of NYSE EQNR opened at $44.77 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $107.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.03. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $40.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $37.81. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. Equinor ASA has a 1-year low of $22.26 and a 1-year high of $45.54.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.06). Equinor ASA had a net margin of 7.92% and a return on equity of 23.60%. The firm had revenue of $34.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.03 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Equinor ASA will post 5.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Stockholders of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a $0.39 dividend. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, November 16th. Equinor ASA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Equinor ASA Company Profile

Equinor ASA is a Norwegian energy company engaged primarily in the exploration, development, production and marketing of oil and natural gas. The company also supplies crude oil, natural gas, refined petroleum products and electricity, and participates in energy trading and related activities.

Equinor has expanded beyond its traditional petroleum business into lower-carbon energy, including offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, and hydrogen-related projects. Its operations and partnerships span several regions, with significant activities on the Norwegian continental shelf as well as projects in Europe, North America, South America and other international markets.

The company was established in 1972 as Den norske stats oljeselskap, commonly known as Statoil, and adopted the name Equinor in 2018 to reflect its broader energy strategy.

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