Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Stock Rating Upgraded by UBS Group

Key Points

• UBS upgraded Equinor from "sell" to "neutral," but the analyst consensus remains "Reduce" with an average price target of $24.71.
• Shares jumped about 5% to $40.46, trading near their 1‑year high ($42.06); the company has a market cap of $119.13 billion and a PE of 21.29.
• Equinor beat quarterly estimates with EPS of $0.81 versus $0.60 expected and revenue of $25.30 billion versus $21.31 billion, and analysts project roughly 3.46 EPS for the current year.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by UBS Group from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report released on Friday.

A number of other brokerages have also issued reports on EQNR. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Pareto Securities raised shares of Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Equinor ASA in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. They set a "hold" rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America cut Equinor ASA from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and seven have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $24.71.

Equinor ASA Trading Up 5.0%

Shares of EQNR stock opened at $40.46 on Friday. Equinor ASA has a 1 year low of $21.41 and a 1 year high of $42.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $119.13 billion, a PE ratio of 21.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 0.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $28.91 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.27.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.81 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.21. Equinor ASA had a return on equity of 15.23% and a net margin of 4.74%.The company had revenue of $25.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $21.31 billion. As a group, research analysts expect that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Equinor ASA

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 1,794.0% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,269 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,202 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC grew 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 buying an additional 610 shares during the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in Equinor ASA by 119.2% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,876 shares of the company's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 1,020 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MAI Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 55.6% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 2,339 shares of the company's stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 836 shares in the last quarter. 5.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Equinor ASA Company Profile

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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