Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Short Interest Update

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 11,200,000 shares, a drop of 11.3% from the February 29th total of 12,620,000 shares. Approximately 0.4% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,430,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.3 days.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

Shares of EQNR traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $27.03. 1,762,638 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,289,796. Equinor ASA has a 1-year low of $24.44 and a 1-year high of $34.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.39 billion, a PE ratio of 6.91 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 1.71. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $26.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $30.19.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.08 by ($0.44). Equinor ASA had a net margin of 11.09% and a return on equity of 20.32%. The company had revenue of $29.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27.35 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Equinor ASA will post 3.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.44%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.06%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Equinor ASA by 136.4% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,090 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 629 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in Equinor ASA by 66.4% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 1,271 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 507 shares during the period. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. 5.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $26.40 to $28.50 in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Equinor ASA in a report on Wednesday, January 10th. They issued a “market perform” rating and a $28.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America raised shares of Equinor ASA from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 7th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada downgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an “outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $28.25.

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.