Traders Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR)

Key Points

• Unusual options activity was seen in Equinor ASA, with traders buying 6,095 put options on Friday, about 15% above the normal volume of 5,301.
• Equinor’s shares fell to $40.19 on Friday, while the company also reported quarterly EPS of $1.33, slightly below analyst expectations of $1.39.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.39 per share, implying an annualized yield of 3.9%, and analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Hold with a $39.20 target price.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Stock traders bought 6,095 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 15% compared to the typical volume of 5,301 put options.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EQNR traded down $0.80 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $40.19. The company had a trading volume of 3,255,480 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,797,679. Equinor ASA has a 12-month low of $22.26 and a 12-month high of $43.46. The company has a fifty day moving average of $35.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.92. The company has a market cap of $118.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.95, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.24 and a quick ratio of 1.12.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $34.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.03 billion. Equinor ASA had a net margin of 7.92% and a return on equity of 23.83%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Equinor ASA will post 4.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Equinor ASA's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Equinor ASA from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, May 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Equinor ASA from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 4th. DZ Bank raised Equinor ASA from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Rothschild & Co Redburn raised shares of Equinor ASA from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Equinor ASA from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Equinor ASA currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $39.20.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 14,837 shares of the company's stock worth $351,000 after purchasing an additional 389 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 1.1% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 39,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $952,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 7.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,148 shares of the company's stock worth $145,000 after acquiring an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 9,711 shares of the company's stock valued at $229,000 after acquiring an additional 501 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC raised its holdings in Equinor ASA by 4.5% in the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 11,657 shares of the company's stock valued at $492,000 after buying an additional 503 shares during the period. 5.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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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