Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Shares of Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Hold" by the nine analysts that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and two have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $31.60.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on E. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of ENI in a research report on Friday, April 25th. StockNews.com downgraded ENI from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group lowered ENI from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Redburn Atlantic lowered ENI from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $31.60 price objective (down previously from $37.50) on shares of ENI in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th.

ENI Price Performance

Shares of NYSE E traded up $0.04 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $28.78. The company had a trading volume of 248,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 317,796. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.57 billion, a PE ratio of 17.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.73. ENI has a twelve month low of $24.65 and a twelve month high of $33.12. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $28.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $28.81.

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

ENI Increases Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ENI

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in ENI by 44.8% in the 1st quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 405,655 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $12,547,000 after purchasing an additional 125,413 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its position in shares of ENI by 6.8% in the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 27,982 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $865,000 after buying an additional 1,793 shares during the period. Bleakley Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of ENI by 17.5% during the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 20,051 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $620,000 after buying an additional 2,987 shares during the period. Callan Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of ENI by 76.7% during the 1st quarter. Callan Capital LLC now owns 26,328 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $814,000 after buying an additional 11,426 shares during the period. Finally, Meritage Portfolio Management lifted its position in ENI by 102.9% during the 1st quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management now owns 150,200 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $4,646,000 after acquiring an additional 76,170 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 1.18% of the company's stock.

ENI Company Profile

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.