Ritholtz Wealth Management Purchases 24,125 Shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR)

Ritholtz Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Free Report) by 15.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 181,935 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 24,125 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management's holdings in Equinor ASA were worth $4,812,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 3.1% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 16,288 shares of the company's stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares during the period. ABC Arbitrage SA acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter worth about $9,043,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter valued at about $211,000. Finally, Drum Hill Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA in the 4th quarter valued at about $4,023,000. 5.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

EQNR traded up $1.38 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $27.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,600,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,641,771. Equinor ASA has a 52 week low of $21.41 and a 52 week high of $29.03. The company's 50-day moving average is $23.62 and its 200-day moving average is $23.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.36 and a current ratio of 1.48. The firm has a market cap of $77.57 billion, a PE ratio of 8.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.57.

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

Equinor ASA Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th were issued a dividend of $0.304 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 16th. This represents a $1.22 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.38%. Equinor ASA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 46.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut shares of Equinor ASA from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and set a $22.70 target price for the company. in a report on Monday, May 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Redburn Atlantic lowered shares of Equinor ASA from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "sector perform" rating to an "underperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, Berenberg Bank downgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $26.44 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Equinor ASA currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $22.71.

Equinor ASA Company Profile

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.