Equinor ASA Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:EQNR)

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Traders bought 10,084 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 169% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,747 put options.

Equinor ASA Price Performance

Shares of Equinor ASA stock traded down $0.92 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $41.35. 4,355,616 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,172,807. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.18. Equinor ASA has a 1-year low of $22.26 and a 1-year high of $45.84. The company has a market cap of $98.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.27, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.03. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $41.83 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.77.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.06). Equinor ASA had a net margin of 7.92% and a return on equity of 23.60%. The business had revenue of $34.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.03 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Equinor ASA will post 5.29 earnings per share for the current year.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 25th. Investors of record on Monday, November 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.39 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 16th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. Equinor ASA’s payout ratio is 34.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on EQNR. Zacks Research upgraded Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Equinor ASA from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, September 12th. Finally, Bank of America raised Equinor ASA from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $49.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, September 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, two have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $43.47.

Key Headlines Impacting Equinor ASA

Here are the key news stories impacting Equinor ASA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Equinor continued its 2026 share-repurchase program, including activity under the third tranche. The company now holds 0.87% of its shares in treasury, which may support earnings per share and signal confidence in the stock. Equinor ASA Share buy-back third tranche for 2026
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded Equinor to Rank #1, or “Strong Buy,” citing improving earnings prospects. EQNR was also included in Zacks’ Strong Buy momentum, value and income-stock lists, potentially attracting additional investor interest. What Makes Equinor a New Strong Buy Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target for Equinor from $38 to $41 but maintained a “Hold” rating. The revised target remains slightly below the stock’s recent trading level, limiting the immediate upside implied by the upgrade. TD Cowen raises Equinor price target
• Negative Sentiment: Traders purchased 10,084 put options on Equinor, 169% above the average volume of 3,747 contracts. The surge suggests increased demand for downside protection or bearish speculation and may be weighing on sentiment.

Institutional Trading of Equinor ASA

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EQNR. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in Equinor ASA by 599.3% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 12,966,671 shares of the company’s stock worth $547,194,000 after acquiring an additional 11,112,362 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Equinor ASA by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 624,523 shares of the company’s stock valued at $14,757,000 after buying an additional 10,523 shares during the period. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Equinor ASA by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Euro Pacific Asset Management LLC now owns 320,131 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,510,000 after buying an additional 1,759 shares during the last quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Equinor ASA by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Logan Capital Management Inc. now owns 251,463 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,942,000 after buying an additional 22,542 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Equinor ASA by 21.2% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 220,132 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,290,000 after acquiring an additional 38,522 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

About Equinor ASA

Equinor ASA is a Norwegian energy company engaged in the exploration, development, production, processing, transportation, marketing and trading of oil and natural gas. The company also operates in renewable energy and other lower-carbon activities, including offshore wind, carbon capture and storage, and hydrogen initiatives.

Equinor’s operations are centered on the Norwegian continental shelf, where it is one of the leading producers of oil and natural gas. The company also has international exploration, production and energy projects across regions including Europe, North America, South America and Africa.