Statoil to propose name change to Equinor at AGM in May Norwegian company acquires name from Oslo veterinary practice Oil majors aren’t famed for their pranks, but Statoil ASA had analysts checking it wasn’t April Fool’s Day when it announced a new name that turned out to have been acquired from an Oslo veterinary practice specializing in horses. “We checked the calendar,” SpareBank 1 Markets analyst Teodor Sveen Nilsen said in a note to clients. “It’s not April 1.” Should shareholders back the change at its annual general meeting in May, Statoil will be called Equinor, a name intended to reflect the Norwegian oil company’s commitment to cleaner energy sources. Initial reactions on Twitter suggest not everyone is convinced by a rebranding exercise that Chief Executive Officer Eldar Saetre said could cost as much as 250 million kroner ($32 million). “I don’t expect Equinor to be love at first […]