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

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) by 4.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 41,996 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,918 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned 0.06% of Weatherford International worth $3,008,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in Weatherford International by 130.8% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 190.4% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. bought a new position in shares of Weatherford International during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Weatherford International by 643.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares during the last quarter. 97.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Weatherford International Stock Up 5.4 %

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

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Equities analysts expect that Weatherford International plc will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Weatherford International news, EVP Scott C. Weatherholt sold 44,505 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was 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 owns 125,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,272,507.23. This represents a 26.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Depinder Sandhu sold 14,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.41, for a total value of $929,740.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,892 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $590,517.72. This represents a 61.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 87,930 shares of company stock worth $5,861,718. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

About Weatherford International

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.