Banco Santander S.A. Sells 3,294 Shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

Banco Santander S.A. reduced its position in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 224,050 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,294 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $8,590,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Schlumberger in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new position in Schlumberger in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Schlumberger during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Schlumberger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Schlumberger during the third quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 81.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SLB has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup raised their target price on Schlumberger from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $44.00 target price (down previously from $62.00) on shares of Schlumberger in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $60.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $64.00 to $61.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Griffin Securities cut shares of Schlumberger from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.81.

Insider Activity at Schlumberger

In other Schlumberger news, insider Dianne B. Ralston sold 43,161 shares of Schlumberger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.96, for a total transaction of $1,897,357.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 235,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,331,655.04. The trade was a 15.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Ugo Prechner sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.20, for a total transaction of $309,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $496,808. This represents a 38.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 290,772 shares of company stock valued at $12,546,660. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Schlumberger Stock Performance

Shares of SLB stock opened at $41.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.45. Schlumberger Limited has a 52 week low of $36.52 and a 52 week high of $55.69. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $40.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.64. The company has a market capitalization of $56.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.47.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.24 billion. Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 21.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a dividend of $0.285 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.76%. This is an increase from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio is 36.66%.

Schlumberger Company Profile

Schlumberger Limited engages in the provision of technology for the energy industry worldwide. The company operates through four divisions: Digital & Integration, Reservoir Performance, Well Construction, and Production Systems. The company provides field development and hydrocarbon production, carbon management, and integration of adjacent energy systems; reservoir interpretation and data processing services for exploration data; and well construction and production improvement services and products.