Pareto Securities Upgrades Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) to “Strong-Buy”

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) was upgraded by stock analysts at Pareto Securities from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Equinor ASA in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Equinor ASA from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. DZ Bank downgraded Equinor ASA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut Equinor ASA from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and nine have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $24.71.

Equinor ASA Trading Up 4.1%

Shares of Equinor ASA stock opened at $27.55 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $81.13 billion, a PE ratio of 14.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 0.38. Equinor ASA has a 1 year low of $21.41 and a 1 year high of $28.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $24.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $24.31.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $25.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.31 billion. Equinor ASA had a net margin of 4.74% and a return on equity of 15.23%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Equinor ASA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EQNR. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 86.2% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,318 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 610 shares during the period. McIlrath & Eck LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equinor ASA during the second quarter worth approximately $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in Equinor ASA by 119.2% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,876 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the period. MAI Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 55.6% in the second quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 2,339 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 836 shares during the period. Finally, New Millennium Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the 3rd quarter valued at about $57,000. Institutional investors own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

Equinor ASA News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Equinor ASA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Equinor raised its quarterly dividend to $0.39 (5.4% increase vs. prior quarter), with an annualized yield around 5.6% and an ex-dividend date of May 15 — boosts income appeal for yield-focused investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat estimates as higher liquids and gas production lifted EPS despite year-over-year revenue decline; this operational beat supports near-term earnings momentum. Equinor Q4 Earnings Beat Estimates on Higher Production Volumes
• Positive Sentiment: Management set a target of ~3% production growth for 2026 while cutting capital expenditures by about $4B — signaling improved capital discipline and potentially higher free cash flow. Equinor targets 3% production growth in 2026 while reducing CapEx by $4B amid market volatility
• Positive Sentiment: Pareto Securities upgraded Equinor from “hold” to “strong-buy,” adding buy-side pressure and validating the earnings/dividend story (report referenced via Zacks).
• Positive Sentiment: Signed a five‑year gas supply agreement with Dutch utility Eneco — a multi-year commercial win that supports contracted volumes and cash flow in Europe. Equinor signs gas deal with Eneco in the Netherlands
• Neutral Sentiment: Allocations of bonus shares to certain insiders under Equinor’s share savings plan were reported — a retention/compensation action that is informational but not necessarily directional. Equinor ASA: Notifiable trading
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript and presentation were posted (useful for deeper read-through of drivers, hedging and guidance). Equinor ASA 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Bank of America downgraded Equinor from “buy” to “neutral,” which could temper buying momentum from institutional investors.
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target to $25 but maintained a “hold” rating — the PT sits below current levels, suggesting analysts still see valuation risk even after operational improvements. Finviz (TD Cowen price target note)

About Equinor ASA

Equinor ASA (NYSE: EQNR) is a Norway-based integrated energy company headquartered in Stavanger. Historically established as Statoil in the 1970s to develop Norway’s petroleum resources, the company changed its name to Equinor in 2018 to reflect a strategic shift toward a broader energy portfolio. Equinor’s operations span the full upstream value chain, including exploration, development and production of oil and natural gas, alongside trading and marketing activities that support its global commercial operations.

In recent years Equinor has pursued a transition strategy that combines continued development of conventional oil and gas resources with growing investments in low‑carbon energy.