Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.21 EPS

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

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 Trading Down 0.7%

Shares of Equinor ASA stock traded down $0.18 on Wednesday, hitting $26.16. The stock had a trading volume of 1,731,519 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,462,672. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $23.93 and a 200 day moving average of $24.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $77.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.40, a PEG ratio of 3.25 and a beta of 0.38. Equinor ASA has a twelve month low of $21.41 and a twelve month high of $28.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a current ratio of 1.48.

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 paid a $0.37 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Equinor ASA’s dividend payout ratio is currently 57.82%.

Key Headlines Impacting Equinor ASA

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Equinor ASA

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EQNR. McIlrath & Eck LLC acquired a new stake in Equinor ASA in the second quarter valued at $36,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in Equinor ASA by 172.9% during the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,174 shares of the company’s stock worth $77,000 after buying an additional 2,011 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,751 shares during the last quarter. Brevan Howard Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the third quarter valued at about $202,000. Finally, Flow Traders U.S. LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Equinor ASA in the third quarter valued at about $212,000. 5.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on EQNR shares. DZ Bank cut Equinor ASA from a “strong-buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Equinor ASA from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating on shares of Equinor ASA in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Equinor ASA from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 17th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Equinor ASA from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and nine have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $22.71.

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.