Equinor ASA Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:EQNR)

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Traders bought 6,095 put options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 15% compared to the average volume of 5,301 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on EQNR. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an “underperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Equinor ASA from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.20.

Equinor ASA News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street Zen raised Equinor ASA (NYSE: EQNR) to Buy, which could support sentiment if investors see more upside from current levels. Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Equinor ASA (NYSE: EQNR) to Sector Perform, a modestly better stance than a lower-rated view and a sign that some analysts see the shares as reasonably valued. Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Raised to Sector Perform at Royal Bank Of Canada
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on Equinor ASA (NYSE: EQNR) from $37 to $38, suggesting some analysts still expect the stock to hold near its current range even after recent volatility. EQNR Q2 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Rise Y/Y on Higher Output

Equinor ASA Price Performance

Shares of EQNR stock opened at $40.38 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $35.69 and its 200 day moving average is $33.96. Equinor ASA has a 1-year low of $22.26 and a 1-year high of $43.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company has a market cap of $118.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.00, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.06.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $34.02 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.03 billion. Equinor ASA had a return on equity of 23.60% and a net margin of 7.92%. Research analysts predict that Equinor ASA will post 4.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be given a $0.39 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.9%. Equinor ASA’s payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its stake in Equinor ASA by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 14,837 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in Equinor ASA by 1.1% in the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 39,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $952,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 7.8% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 6,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $145,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc increased its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 9,711 shares of the company’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 501 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Equinor ASA by 4.5% during the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 11,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $492,000 after purchasing an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 5.51% of the company’s stock.

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.