Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Stock Price Down 5.6% - Here's Why

Key Points

• Shares of Equinor fell 5.6% in mid-day trading to about $39.84, with volume ~4.71M shares (down ~37% from the session average) after a prior close of $42.20.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed and the MarketBeat consensus is a "Reduce" rating with an average price target of $34.61, despite recent upgrades from some firms and downgrades from others.
• Equinor beat quarterly expectations (EPS $0.81 vs. $0.60; revenue $25.26B vs. $21.31B) and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.39, implying a $1.56 annualized payout and a ~3.9% yield.

Shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) fell 5.6% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $39.73 and last traded at $39.8380. 4,708,182 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 37% from the average session volume of 7,416,920 shares. The stock had previously closed at $42.20.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on EQNR shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded Equinor ASA from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Zacks Research raised Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Equinor ASA from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $40.40 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Bank of America cut shares of Equinor ASA from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Equinor ASA in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. They issued a "hold" rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Equinor ASA has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $34.61.

Equinor ASA Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $117.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.03 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.16. The company's 50-day moving average is $31.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $26.54.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.21. Equinor ASA had a net margin of 4.74% and a return on equity of 15.23%. The company had revenue of $25.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $21.31 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This is a boost from Equinor ASA's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. Equinor ASA's dividend payout ratio is currently 64.21%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equinor ASA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of EQNR. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Equinor ASA by 1,794.0% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,269 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,202 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC raised its stake in Equinor ASA by 86.2% during the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,318 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 610 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new position in Equinor ASA during the second quarter worth about $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 119.2% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,876 shares of the company's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arax Advisory Partners lifted its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 78.6% in the fourth quarter. Arax Advisory Partners now owns 2,377 shares of the company's stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 1,046 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 5.51% of the company's stock.

About Equinor ASA

Equinor ASA NYSE: EQNR is a Norway-based integrated energy company headquartered in Stavanger. Historically established as Statoil in the 1970s to develop Norway's petroleum resources, the company changed its name to Equinor in 2018 to reflect a strategic shift toward a broader energy portfolio. Equinor's operations span the full upstream value chain, including exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas, alongside trading and marketing activities that support its global commercial operations.

In recent years Equinor has pursued a transition strategy that combines continued development of conventional oil and gas resources with growing investments in low‑carbon energy.

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