Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) was the target of a significant decline in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 13,610,000 shares, a decline of 6.9% from the January 15th total of 14,620,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 3,780,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.6 days. Currently, 0.5% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on EQNR. Redburn Atlantic raised Equinor ASA from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. DZ Bank raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Nordea Equity Research raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Danske raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, HSBC raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Equinor ASA currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $29.45.

Equinor ASA Trading Down 1.3 %

Equinor ASA stock traded down $0.31 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $23.11. 2,999,812 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,006,957. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.48. Equinor ASA has a fifty-two week low of $21.85 and a fifty-two week high of $29.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.43, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.83. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $23.91 and its 200-day moving average is $24.73.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.63 earnings per share 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%. On average, analysts predict that Equinor ASA will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.06%. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio is 37.62%.

Institutional Trading of Equinor ASA

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Reston Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. GeoWealth Management LLC increased its stake in Equinor ASA by 254.5% during the 4th quarter. GeoWealth Management LLC now owns 1,372 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. 5.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.