SLB (NYSE:SLB) Cut to Strong Sell at Freedom Capital

Freedom Capital downgraded shares of SLB (NYSE:SLB) from a hold rating to a strong sell rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen lifted their target price on SLB from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of SLB in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $49.00 target price on shares of SLB in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Redburn Partners set a $48.00 price target on shares of SLB in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on SLB from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, SLB presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $51.92.

SLB Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of NYSE:SLB opened at $48.44 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.43 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 0.72. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $41.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.06. SLB has a 1 year low of $31.11 and a 1 year high of $51.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 0.98.

SLB (NYSE:SLB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $0.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.04. SLB had a return on equity of 17.45% and a net margin of 9.45%.The firm had revenue of $9.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.92 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that SLB will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

SLB Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be given a dividend of $0.295 per share. This is a boost from SLB’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $1.18 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. SLB’s payout ratio is 48.10%.

Insider Transactions at SLB

In other SLB news, CFO Stephane Biguet sold 61,017 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.70, for a total value of $3,032,544.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 155,548 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,730,735.60. The trade was a 28.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 60,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $49.70, for a total transaction of $2,982,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 140,602 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,987,919.40. The trade was a 29.91% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 260,849 shares of company stock worth $11,668,003. Company insiders own 0.22% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On SLB

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Synergy Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in SLB by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Synergy Asset Management LLC now owns 80,830 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,732,000 after acquiring an additional 40,415 shares during the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of SLB by 10.1% during the 3rd quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 248,057 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $8,526,000 after buying an additional 22,706 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in shares of SLB by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 210,056 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $7,220,000 after buying an additional 25,417 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG raised its position in shares of SLB by 1,937.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 996,948 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $34,265,000 after buying an additional 948,015 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in SLB by 4.9% in the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 2,157,885 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $72,354,000 after acquiring an additional 100,918 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.99% of the company’s stock.

More SLB News

Here are the key news stories impacting SLB this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages raised ratings and price targets (Susquehanna to $58, BofA to $55, RBC to $54, JPMorgan/BMO also bullish), which supports upside expectations and buy‑side demand. Susquehanna Boosts SLB Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: SLB won multi‑year contracts in Oman / the Middle East to supply wellheads and artificial‑lift equipment — adds revenue backlog and local content exposure in a large concession (Block‑6). SLB Awarded Multi-Year Contracts to Support Oman’s Energy Development
• Positive Sentiment: Argus upgrade and a consensus “moderate buy” from analysts add institutional support for the stock’s near‑term outlook. SLB Upgraded at Argus
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note SLB as a trending/widely watched stock and revisit its role in evolving energy markets — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. SLB Is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed peer performance: commentary notes SLB underperformed some competitors on a recent day despite intraday gains — could reflect sector rotation rather than company‑specific deterioration. MarketWatch On Relative Performance
• Negative Sentiment: A coordinated wave of insider sales by senior executives (including CFO Stéphane Biguet, EVP Abdellah Merad, CAO Howard Guild, and others) has been reported — large insider disposals often trigger investor concern even if for diversification or tax reasons. Top Insiders Unload Holdings
• Negative Sentiment: SLB’s joint venture with Aker Carbon Capture reported a loss on a carbon‑capture project, raising near‑term execution and asset‑quality questions for its energy‑transition businesses. JV Loss on Carbon Capture Project
• Negative Sentiment: At least one boutique shop (Freedom Capital) downgraded SLB to “strong sell,” adding a contrarian negative note amid the broader wave of upgrades. Zacks Freedom Capital Downgrade

SLB Company Profile

SLB (NYSE: SLB), historically known as Schlumberger, is a leading global provider of technology, integrated project management and information solutions for the energy industry. Founded by Conrad and Marcel Schlumberger in 1926, the company develops and supplies products and services used across the exploration, drilling, completion and production phases of oil and gas development. Its offerings are intended to help operators characterize reservoirs, drill and complete wells, optimize production and manage field operations throughout the asset lifecycle.

SLB’s product and service portfolio spans reservoir characterization and well testing, wireline and logging services, directional drilling and drilling tools, well construction and completion technologies, production systems, and subsea equipment.