ENI (NYSE:E) Sets New 1-Year High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• ENI hit a new 52-week high of $51.50 mid‑day after reporting an earnings beat (Q4 EPS $0.87 vs. $0.78 est.) and revenue of $24.33 billion vs. $19.45 billion expected.
• Several brokers upgraded ENI (Erste to "strong‑buy", JPMorgan to "overweight", UBS to "buy"), but MarketBeat's consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $34.60, well below the current share price.
• ENI raised its quarterly dividend to $0.6137 (annualized $2.45) for a 4.7% yield98.24%, which could raise sustainability concerns.

Shares of Eni SpA (NYSE:E - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $51.50 and last traded at $51.49, with a volume of 101263 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $51.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Erste Group Bank upgraded shares of ENI to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of ENI in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded ENI from an "underweight" rating to an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. UBS Group upgraded ENI from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating on shares of ENI in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $34.60.

ENI Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $87.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.55 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $42.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.56.

ENI (NYSE:E - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $24.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $19.45 billion. ENI had a return on equity of 9.27% and a net margin of 3.07%. Equities analysts anticipate that Eni SpA will post 3.74 earnings per share for the current year.

ENI Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 24th will be given a $0.6137 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 24th. This represents a $2.45 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.7%. This is a boost from ENI's previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. ENI's payout ratio is 98.24%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ENI

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. New York State Common Retirement Fund bought a new position in ENI in the third quarter valued at $2,016,000. RD Lewis Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in ENI during the 2nd quarter worth about $2,316,000. Trek Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of ENI during the 3rd quarter worth about $4,128,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of ENI by 25.2% in the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 143,622 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $4,656,000 after acquiring an additional 28,926 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in shares of ENI by 33.2% in the third 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. 1.18% of the stock is 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.

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