Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Short Interest Update

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 12,010,000 shares, an increase of 14.4% from the March 31st total of 10,500,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,710,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.2 days. Currently, 0.4% of the shares of the company are sold short.

Equinor ASA Price Performance

Shares of EQNR traded down $0.57 on Monday, reaching $27.13. The stock had a trading volume of 4,269,657 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,710,695. Equinor ASA has a twelve month low of $24.44 and a twelve month high of $34.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $84.68 billion, a PE ratio of 8.40, a PEG ratio of 7.98 and a beta of 0.85. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $26.65 and a 200 day moving average of $29.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 1.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 7th. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.08 by ($0.44). The firm had revenue of $29.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27.35 billion. Equinor ASA had a net margin of 9.30% and a return on equity of 19.67%. Sell-side analysts expect that Equinor ASA will post 3.37 EPS for the current year.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.42%. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 35.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on EQNR shares. DZ Bank lowered Equinor ASA from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 8th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Equinor ASA in a research note on Wednesday, April 24th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $28.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded Equinor ASA from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $26.40 to $28.50 in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $28.25.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equinor ASA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EQNR. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Equinor ASA by 136.4% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,090 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 629 shares in the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in Equinor ASA by 558.9% during the third quarter. SRS Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 1,331 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 1,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Princeton Global Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Equinor ASA in the fourth quarter worth $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

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.