Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Short Interest Update

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) was the target of a large increase in short interest in February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 19,020,000 shares, an increase of 39.8% from the January 31st total of 13,610,000 shares. Currently, 0.7% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,670,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.2 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on EQNR shares. HSBC raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Danske raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Pareto Securities raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Hsbc Global Res raised Equinor ASA to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Equinor ASA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $29.45.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EQNR. Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 254.5% in the fourth quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 1,009.8% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 2,497 shares of the company’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 2,272 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

Equinor ASA Trading Down 0.8 %

NYSE EQNR traded down $0.19 on Wednesday, reaching $22.30. The company had a trading volume of 1,482,574 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,436,710. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $23.94 and its 200-day moving average is $24.40. The stock has a market cap of $62.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.17, a PEG ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.36, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Equinor ASA has a 52 week low of $21.85 and a 52 week high of $29.32.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by ($0.19). Equinor ASA had a net margin of 8.49% and a return on equity of 20.33%. Equities analysts predict that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were issued a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.28%. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.