Pareto Securities Downgrades Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) to Hold

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) was downgraded by research analysts at Pareto Securities from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Zacks.com reports.

EQNR has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Research upgraded Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. DZ Bank raised shares of Equinor ASA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Equinor ASA from $25.00 to $37.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $40.40 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 24th. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Equinor ASA from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $34.61.

Equinor ASA Stock Up 1.0%

EQNR opened at $41.55 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $30.85 and a 200-day moving average of $26.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $122.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.87 and a beta of 0.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64. Equinor ASA has a 1-year low of $21.41 and a 1-year high of $42.06.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last released its 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 business had revenue of $25.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $21.31 billion. Equinor ASA had a return on equity of 15.23% and a net margin of 4.74%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in shares of Equinor ASA by 1,794.0% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,269 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 1,202 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 86.2% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 1,318 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 610 shares in the last quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC bought a new position in Equinor ASA during the 2nd quarter valued at about $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 119.2% during the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arax Advisory Partners boosted its position in Equinor ASA by 78.6% in the fourth quarter. Arax Advisory Partners now owns 2,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 1,046 shares in the last quarter. 5.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Equinor ASA

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded Equinor from “Hold” to “Strong Buy”, boosting investor sentiment toward the name and supporting momentum into the tape. Zacks Research Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple Zacks pieces this week placed EQNR on top lists (momentum, income and value), reinforcing buy-side interest from retail and quant flows that follow Zacks Rank #1 recommendations. Are You Looking for a Top Momentum Pick? Why Equinor (EQNR) is a Great Choice
• Positive Sentiment: Operational progress: Equinor has begun drilling at the Raia project in Brazil (a ~$9B development) — a long‑duration gas project expected to start in 2028 that strengthens future gas production and revenue visibility. Equinor Begins Drilling at Raia, Strengthens Brazil’s Gas Supply
• Positive Sentiment: Another broker note: Morgan Stanley reportedly raised Equinor’s rating, adding institutional endorsement that can attract fund flows. Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Stock Rating Upgraded by Morgan Stanley
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider-related sale: Magnus Andreas Vadheim, a close associate of board member Geir Leon Vadheim, sold 25 shares at NOK 399 on March 27. The sale is very small in size and appears immaterial to company fundamentals, but it was disclosed under notifiable trading rules. Equinor ASA: Notifiable trading

Equinor ASA Company Profile

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.