Eni SpA (NYSE:E) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Eni SpA (NYSE:E) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 1,291,980 shares, an increase of 24.3% from the February 12th total of 1,039,043 shares. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 431,433 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Based on an average trading volume of 431,433 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.0 days. Currently, 0.1% of the company’s shares are sold short.

ENI Trading Up 4.0%

Shares of NYSE E traded up $2.09 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $53.68. The stock had a trading volume of 935,412 shares, compared to its average volume of 390,513. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market cap of $90.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.57 and a beta of 0.57. ENI has a fifty-two week low of $24.65 and a fifty-two week high of $53.98. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $42.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.67.

ENI (NYSE:E) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $24.33 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $19.45 billion. ENI had a return on equity of 9.27% and a net margin of 3.07%. On average, equities research analysts predict that ENI will post 3.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ENI Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 8th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 24th will be paid a $0.6137 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 24th. This is a positive change from ENI’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.58. This represents a $2.45 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.6%. ENI’s payout ratio is 98.24%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of ENI from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 2nd. Erste Group Bank upgraded ENI to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. UBS Group upgraded ENI from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded ENI from an “underweight” rating to an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised ENI from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $34.60.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On ENI

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in E. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of ENI by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 3,279,164 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $124,411,000 after acquiring an additional 165,454 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of ENI by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 3,019,566 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $114,562,000 after acquiring an additional 16,671 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in ENI by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 1,353,911 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $51,367,000 after purchasing an additional 38,688 shares during the period. Brandes Investment Partners LP grew its stake in ENI by 5.4% during the 2nd quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 702,770 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $22,784,000 after purchasing an additional 35,772 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in ENI by 33.2% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 636,891 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $22,259,000 after purchasing an additional 158,699 shares in the last quarter. 1.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About ENI

ENI S.p.A. is an integrated energy company headquartered in Rome, Italy, founded in 1953 as a state-established hydrocarbon entity and later transformed into a publicly traded multinational. The firm’s activities span the full hydrocarbon value chain and extend into power generation and low‑carbon energy solutions. ENI maintains a long history in exploration and production, engineering and project development, and downstream operations that include refining, petrochemicals and retail fuel distribution.

Core businesses include upstream exploration and production of oil and natural gas, midstream and liquefied natural gas (LNG) handling, and downstream refining and marketing of petroleum products and lubricants.