Analysts Set Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E) Price Target at $31.60

Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Hold" from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $31.60.

A number of analysts have commented on E shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of ENI from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of ENI in a report on Friday, April 25th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of ENI from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Kepler Capital Markets downgraded shares of ENI from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th.

ENI Trading Up 0.8%

ENI stock traded up $0.23 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $29.52. 172,547 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 307,514. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. ENI has a 12 month low of $24.65 and a 12 month high of $33.12. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $28.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.67, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.88.

ENI (NYSE:E - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $25.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $25.52 billion. ENI had a net margin of 2.76% and a return on equity of 11.03%. Analysts forecast that ENI will post 3.74 EPS for the current year.

ENI Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a -- dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be paid a $0.5391 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a yield of 5.5%. This is a positive change from ENI's previous -- dividend of $0.35. ENI's dividend payout ratio is currently 89.82%.

Institutional Trading of ENI

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in ENI by 100.0% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,202 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 601 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in ENI in the 1st quarter worth about $54,000. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in ENI by 30.5% in the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,488 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of ENI during the 1st quarter valued at about $78,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of ENI by 76.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,376 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 1,467 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 1.18% of the company's stock.

About ENI

Eni SpA engages in the exploration, production, refining, and sale of oil, gas, electricity, and chemicals. It operates through the following segments: Exploration and Production, Global Gas and LNG Portfolio, Refining & Marketing and Chemicals, Power & Renewables, and Corporate and Other Activities.