By Nerijus Adomaitis and Nora Buli OSLO (Reuters) – Norway’s Equinor will pay out $10 billion to shareholders this year after it reported record fourth-quarter pretax profits, joining European rivals in cashing in on a boom in oil and gas prices and sending its shares to a new high. Adjusted earnings before tax leapt to $15.0 billion in the October-December quarter, up from $756 million a year earlier and beating the $13.2 billion predicted in a poll of 23 analysts compiled by Equinor. Thanks to high energy prices and disciplined spending, Equinor generated $25 billion of free cash flow last y…

Read More