Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank lowered its position in shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) by 5.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,011,027 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 231,600 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $153,783,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Schlumberger Stock Down 0.3 %

SLB stock opened at $39.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $54.28 billion, a PE ratio of 12.84, a PEG ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.47. Schlumberger Limited has a 1 year low of $36.52 and a 1 year high of $55.69. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.90 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.24 billion. Schlumberger had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 12.29%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.285 per share. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This is an increase from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Griffin Securities downgraded Schlumberger from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Schlumberger from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Atb Cap Markets cut Schlumberger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $64.00 to $61.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Schlumberger from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Six research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.81.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Gavin Rennick sold 26,990 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.92, for a total value of $1,104,430.80. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 53,584 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,192,657.28. This trade represents a 33.50 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Bejar Carmen Rando sold 5,524 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.41, for a total transaction of $223,224.84. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 30,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,245,799.89. This represents a 15.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 290,772 shares of company stock valued at $12,546,660 over the last 90 days. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.