Equinor raises dividend, Q1 beats forecast amid renewables boost

Norway's Equinor raised its dividend and posted a bigger-than-expected rise in first-quarter operating profits on Thursday, boosted by higher oil and gas prices as well as large one-off gains at its renewable energy business.

It will pay a dividend of $0.15 for the quarter, up from $0.12 paid for the final three months of 2020.

Adjusted profit before interest and tax (EBIT) rose to $5.47 billion in the quarter from $2.05 billion during the same period a year ago, exceeding the $5.3 billion predicted in a poll of 22 analysts compiled by Equinor.

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