Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Issues Earnings Results

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.21, Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $25.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.31 billion. Equinor ASA had a return on equity of 14.34% and a net margin of 5.27%.

Here are the key takeaways from Equinor ASA’s conference call:

• Equinor delivered record production of 2,137,000 barrels per day in 2025 and expects around 3% production growth in 2026, with cash flow from operations after tax guided to roughly $16bn in 2026 and ~ $18bn in 2027 at current price assumptions.
• Management reduced its 2026–2027 CapEx outlook by about $4 billion, guiding organic CapEx of ~$13 billion for 2026 and ~$9 billion for 2027 while prioritizing investments (~60% NCS, 30% international oil & gas, 10% power).
• Equinor reaffirmed shareholder returns: quarterly cash dividend raised to $0.39 per share with an ambition to grow it by $0.02 annually, and a $1.5 billion share buyback programme for 2026 (first tranche $375m).
• Empire Wind is >60% complete with total CapEx now expected at about $7.5 billion (≈$3bn remaining) and expected ITC benefit of ~$2.5bn, but the project remains exposed to legal risk and potential tariffs despite a preliminary injunction allowing work to resume.
• Safety remains a material concern after a colleague was fatally injured at Mongstad in September; management emphasized the need for further improvement despite overall safety trends improving.

Equinor ASA Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of EQNR stock traded down $0.08 on Wednesday, reaching $26.26. 1,929,912 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,490,709. Equinor ASA has a twelve month low of $21.41 and a twelve month high of $28.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62. The company has a market capitalization of $77.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.45, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.38. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $23.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.26.

Equinor ASA Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. Equinor ASA’s payout ratio is 57.82%.

Equinor ASA News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat on EPS and revenue: Equinor reported adjusted EPS of $0.81 (vs. $0.77 consensus) and revenue of $25.3B, beating estimates and showing stronger-than-expected top-line performance. Equinor fourth quarter and full year 2025 results
• Positive Sentiment: Sold ~30% of U.S. gas into the spot market in January’s price spike, boosting realized sales during the cold snap — a near-term cashflow positive move. Equinor sold about 30% of its US gas on spot market during January price spike
• Positive Sentiment: First tranche of the 2026 buy-back program to commence (up to USD 375M on Feb 5) — supports EPS and signals return-of-capital discipline. Equinor to commence first tranche of the 2026 share buy-back programme
• Neutral Sentiment: Proposed cash dividend of USD 0.39 for Q4 2025 (subject to AGM approval) — supports income investors but timing/approval remain procedural. Equinor ASA: Key information relating to proposed cash dividend for fourth quarter 2025
• Negative Sentiment: Management flagged an earnings slide driven by weaker oil & gas prices and announced a target to cut operating costs by ~10% in 2026 and pare back capex — signals pressure on margins ahead. Equinor Posts Earning Slide, Targets Cost Cuts in 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noted a pull-back in the share buyback program versus prior expectations as quarterly profits fell, creating mixed messaging about buybacks and capital allocation. Equinor Reduces Share Buyback as Quarterly Earnings Tumble
• Negative Sentiment: Headline net income fell year-over-year despite beating some estimates; weaker commodity prices remain the main downside risk to future earnings and cashflow. Equinor Q4 profit falls, but less than expected

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on EQNR shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Equinor ASA in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Equinor ASA from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Equinor ASA from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a report on Friday, October 31st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and nine have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $22.71.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Equinor ASA

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in EQNR. Royal Bank of Canada raised its holdings in Equinor ASA by 11.1% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 148,723 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,932,000 after purchasing an additional 14,913 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Equinor ASA during the first quarter worth about $263,000. Empowered Funds LLC raised its stake in Equinor ASA by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 112,194 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,968,000 after acquiring an additional 2,112 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA during the 1st quarter worth approximately $816,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Equinor ASA by 50.3% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 5,230 shares of the company’s stock valued at $131,000 after acquiring an additional 1,751 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.