Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) Stock Position Raised by Russell Investments Group Ltd.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) by 4.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 41,996 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,918 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Weatherford International were worth $3,008,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFRD. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Weatherford International by 130.8% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank lifted its stake in Weatherford International by 190.4% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 392 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. purchased a new stake in Weatherford International in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Weatherford International during the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Weatherford International by 643.0% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 1,106 shares in the last quarter. 97.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Weatherford International

In related news, EVP Scott C. Weatherholt sold 44,505 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $2,944,895.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 125,019 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,272,507.23. This trade represents a 26.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Depinder Sandhu sold 14,000 shares of Weatherford International stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.41, for a total transaction of $929,740.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,892 shares in the company, valued at $590,517.72. This trade represents a 61.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 87,930 shares of company stock worth $5,861,718 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on WFRD. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Weatherford International from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Weatherford International from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Raymond James reduced their price objective on Weatherford International from $97.00 to $73.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Finally, Benchmark dropped their target price on Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $103.75.

Weatherford International Stock Up 5.4 %

WFRD stock opened at $46.68 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a PE ratio of 6.95, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.70. Weatherford International plc has a 1 year low of $36.74 and a 1 year high of $135.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $70.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.30). Weatherford International had a return on equity of 40.65% and a net margin of 9.18%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Weatherford International plc will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. Weatherford International’s payout ratio is currently 14.88%.

Weatherford International 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.