Equinor shares fall despite Q4 profit beat, rising output- Equinor reported a smaller than expected fall in fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday and joined many rivals in promising higher oil and gas output while scaling back renewables, but its shares fell amid some disappointment over shareholder payouts. That beat the $7.71 billion expected in a poll of 24 analysts compiled by Equinor. ngc.co.ttEquinor's Oslo-listed shares closed down 4.1%, underperforming a 0.3% rise for Europe's oil and gas index. Including share buybacks, Equinor plans to return to shareholders a total of $9 billion this year. Equinor in 2022 overtook Russia's Gazprom as Europe's biggest supplier of natural gas when Moscow's invasion of Ukraine upended decades-long energy ties.