Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) Position Lessened by Hantz Financial Services Inc.

Hantz Financial Services Inc. decreased its stake in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 76,121 shares of the company’s stock after selling 444 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. owned 0.10% of Weatherford International worth $6,464,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Weatherford International by 31.0% in the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 359 shares of the company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Weatherford International by 50.4% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 382 shares of the company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 128 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its position in Weatherford International by 20.7% in the 2nd quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 1,063 shares of the company’s stock valued at $129,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its position in Weatherford International by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,945 shares of the company’s stock valued at $165,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in Weatherford International by 26.7% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $116,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 97.23% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Weatherford International

In related news, CAO Desmond J. Mills sold 6,531 shares of Weatherford International stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.86, for a total transaction of $521,565.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,680 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $932,764.80. This trade represents a 35.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP David John Reed sold 6,805 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.96, for a total value of $639,397.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Weatherford International Stock Performance

Shares of Weatherford International stock opened at $82.30 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a PE ratio of 11.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.70 and a beta of 0.60. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $86.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $103.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. Weatherford International plc has a 12 month low of $77.00 and a 12 month high of $135.00.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.06 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.65 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.42 billion. Weatherford International had a return on equity of 46.25% and a net margin of 9.65%. Weatherford International’s revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.66 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Weatherford International plc will post 6.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 6th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 6th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.22%. Weatherford International’s payout ratio is 14.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WFRD has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $155.00 price target on shares of Weatherford International in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays lowered their price target on Weatherford International from $154.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Weatherford International from $149.00 to $142.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America lowered their price target on Weatherford International from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Weatherford International from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $147.29.

Weatherford International Company Profile

Weatherford International plc, an energy services company, provides equipment and services for the drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention of oil, geothermal, and natural gas wells worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Drilling and Evaluation; Well Construction and Completions; and Production and Intervention.