Brokerages Set Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Target Price at $28.10

Shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $28.10.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Equinor ASA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 10th. DZ Bank upgraded Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Equinor ASA from $30.90 to $28.20 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 17th. HSBC raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a research report on Thursday, February 6th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. GeoWealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Equinor ASA by 254.5% in the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,372 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the period. Synergy Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equinor ASA during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA during the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings 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 in the last quarter. 5.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Equinor ASA Trading Up 7.1 %

Shares of NYSE:EQNR opened at $23.60 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.90 billion, a PE ratio of 7.59, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.58. Equinor ASA has a 12-month low of $21.41 and a 12-month high of $29.32. The business has a 50 day moving average of $24.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $24.15. 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) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.82 by ($0.19). Equinor ASA had a return on equity of 20.33% and a net margin of 8.49%. As a group, analysts forecast that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current year.

Equinor ASA Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.304 per share. This represents a $1.22 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.15%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.30%.

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.