BNP Paribas Financial Markets Boosts Stock Position in Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Free Report) by 130.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 83,081 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 47,075 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets' holdings in Equinor ASA were worth $1,968,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in Equinor ASA by 254.5% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,372 shares of the company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its stake in Equinor ASA by 1,009.8% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,497 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 2,272 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 5.51% of the company's stock.

Equinor ASA Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE:EQNR traded up $0.32 on Friday, reaching $23.82. 2,158,349 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,584,891. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $23.79 and its 200 day simple moving average is $23.76. Equinor ASA has a 52 week low of $21.41 and a 52 week high of $29.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.83 by ($0.17). Equinor ASA had a net margin of 8.49% and a return on equity of 20.33%. The company had revenue of $27.14 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.16 billion. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.304 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. This represents a $1.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.10%. Equinor ASA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. HSBC raised Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen cut Equinor ASA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Equinor ASA from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Nordea Equity Research raised Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $22.71.

About Equinor ASA

Equinor ASA, an energy company, engages in the exploration, production, transportation, refining, and marketing of petroleum and other forms of energy in Norway and internationally. It operates through Exploration & Production Norway; Exploration & Production International; Exploration & Production USA; Marketing, Midstream & Processing; Renewables; and Other segments.