Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) have received a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have given a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $24.7133.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on EQNR. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Equinor ASA in a report on Thursday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Equinor ASA from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Equinor ASA from $22.00 to $25.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Equinor ASA from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday.

Equinor ASA Stock Performance

NYSE EQNR opened at $26.47 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.93, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s fifty day moving average is $24.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $24.30. Equinor ASA has a 52-week low of $21.41 and a 52-week high of $28.26.

Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The company reported $0.81 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.60 by $0.21. Equinor ASA had a net margin of 4.74% and a return on equity of 15.03%. The business had revenue of $25.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $21.31 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that Equinor ASA will post 3.46 EPS for the current year.

Equinor ASA Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be paid a $0.37 dividend. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.6%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 17th. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 64.21%.

Key Headlines Impacting Equinor ASA

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus — Equinor reported adjusted EPS of $0.81 and revenue of $25.3B, topping estimates and showing resilience in volumes. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Signed a five‑year gas supply deal with Eneco in the Netherlands, securing medium‑term offtake and revenue visibility in a core European market. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Completed a $1.1B divestment of Argentina onshore (Vaca Muerta) to Vista Energy — improves near‑term cash flow and simplifies upstream exposure. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Capitalised on a US gas price spike by selling ~30% of U.S. onshore gas volumes into the spot market, boosting realized prices in January. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Commenced the first tranche (up to $375M) of a $1.5B 2026 buy‑back program — supports shareholder returns despite a smaller overall program. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance and strategy: management targets ~3% production growth for 2026 while cutting CapEx by ~$4B and aiming for a 10% reduction in operating costs — mixed for near‑term growth vs. margin focus. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Cowen revisited Equinor’s sector positioning and valuation, which may recalibrate investor expectations but did not issue a clear buy call. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst moves point to limited upside — Bank of America downgraded EQNR from Buy to Neutral, and TD Cowen’s raised price target to $25 still sits below the recent trade price, implying downside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 profit fell (weaker oil & gas prices) and some reports indicate Equinor reined in its share buyback after earnings weakness — a signal of more cautious capital deployment if commodity prices remain soft. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Allocation of bonus shares to insiders under the share‑savings plan may be viewed negatively by some investors as dilution or insider reward. Read More.

Institutional Trading of Equinor ASA

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of EQNR. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new position in Equinor ASA during the second quarter worth $36,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC grew its holdings in shares of Equinor ASA by 119.2% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 1,876 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,020 shares during the last quarter. New Millennium Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA during the 3rd quarter worth about $57,000. MAI Capital Management lifted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 55.6% during the 2nd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 2,339 shares of the company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 836 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWM LLC boosted its position in Equinor ASA by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 3,051 shares of the company’s stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 522 shares in 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.