Short Interest in Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E) Increases By 19.6%

Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in the month of February. As of February 15th, there was short interest totalling 915,000 shares, an increase of 19.6% from the January 31st total of 765,300 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 286,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.2 days.

ENI Stock Performance

E stock traded up $0.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $29.53. The company had a trading volume of 200,952 shares, compared to its average volume of 275,260. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $28.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $29.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. ENI has a one year low of $26.12 and a one year high of $33.78.

ENI Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a — dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 7th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 25th will be given a $0.3549 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 25th. This represents a yield of 5.1%. ENI’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.63%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Forum Financial Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of ENI by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 28,823 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $789,000 after purchasing an additional 10,223 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of ENI by 215.8% in the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 327,201 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $8,952,000 after acquiring an additional 223,597 shares in the last quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of ENI by 63.9% during the 4th quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 33,697 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $922,000 after buying an additional 13,135 shares during the period. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of ENI in the fourth quarter valued at $2,999,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its stake in ENI by 57.5% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 14,890 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $407,000 after buying an additional 5,436 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 1.18% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

E has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com cut ENI from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. UBS Group lowered ENI from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $31.60 price target (down from $37.50) on shares of ENI in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $31.60.

ENI Company Profile

Eni SpA engages in the exploration, production, refining, and sale of oil, gas, electricity, and chemicals. It operates through the following segments: Exploration and Production, Global Gas and LNG Portfolio, Refining & Marketing and Chemicals, Power & Renewables, and Corporate and Other Activities.