Morgan Stanley Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Stock Price

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) had its target price cut by Morgan Stanley from $30.90 to $28.20 in a research report sent to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the stock.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on EQNR. Nordea Equity Research raised Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Berenberg Bank upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Pareto Securities upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, DZ Bank upgraded Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. 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 given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $28.10.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

NYSE:EQNR opened at $25.18 on Monday. Equinor ASA has a fifty-two week low of $21.85 and a fifty-two week high of $29.32. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $23.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.17. The company has a market cap of $70.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.10, a P/E/G 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 (NYSE:EQNR) last issued its 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%. Analysts expect that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current year.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.56%. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter valued at about $403,000. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 24,925 shares of the company’s stock valued at $590,000 after purchasing an additional 3,989 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 32,689 shares of the company’s stock valued at $774,000 after purchasing an additional 5,038 shares during the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 958.7% in the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 1,447,536 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,292,000 after purchasing an additional 1,310,812 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vident Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 63.6% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 123,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,914,000 after purchasing an additional 47,808 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

Equinor ASA Company Profile

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.