Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Rating Increased to Sector Perform at Royal Bank Of Canada

Royal Bank Of Canada upgraded shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) from an underperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research note released on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently commented on EQNR. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Equinor ASA from $42.00 to $37.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, June 29th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Rothschild & Co Redburn upgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Pareto Securities cut shares of Equinor ASA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, May 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $38.70.

Equinor ASA Trading Up 2.4%

EQNR opened at $40.94 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57. Equinor ASA has a 52 week low of $22.26 and a 52 week high of $43.46. The business’s 50 day moving average is $35.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $33.92. The firm has a market cap of $120.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.06.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.39 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $34.02 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.03 billion. Equinor ASA had a net margin of 7.92% and a return on equity of 23.83%. On average, research analysts predict that Equinor ASA will post 4.73 EPS for the current year.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio is 58.72%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equinor ASA

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EQNR. Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in Equinor ASA by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 187,623 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,891,000 after buying an additional 3,474 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Equinor ASA by 24.1% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 9,033 shares of the company’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 1,754 shares during the last quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its stake in shares of Equinor ASA by 1,581.9% in the 2nd quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 2,136 shares of the company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 2,009 shares during the period. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, VectorGlobal IAG Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the first quarter valued at about $285,000. 5.51% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Equinor ASA

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

• Positive Sentiment: Equinor reported robust Q2 results, with adjusted operating income of $11.48 billion and net operating income of $12.99 billion, helped by higher oil and gas prices and stronger trading conditions. Equinor second quarter 2026 results
• Positive Sentiment: The company increased shareholder returns by launching the third tranche of its 2026 share buyback program and reaffirming a $0.39 quarterly cash dividend, reinforcing a stronger capital-return story. Equinor to commence third tranche of the 2026 share buy-back programme
• Positive Sentiment: Management said Europe may fall short of its gas storage target, a sign that the gas market could stay tight and supportive of pricing for major producers like Equinor. Reuters article on Europe gas storage target
• Neutral Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada upgraded Equinor from “underperform” to “sector perform,” which is a modestly better stance but does not signal a strong bullish call. Finviz upgrade mention
• Neutral Sentiment: Several analysts highlighted that the stock’s valuation now looks closer to fair value after its recent run, suggesting upside may be more limited from here despite the solid quarter. Seeking Alpha downgrade article
• Negative Sentiment: Equinor missed EPS expectations slightly, reporting $1.33 versus the $1.38 consensus, which could cap enthusiasm for the stock. MarketBeat earnings report

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.