Desmond J. Mills Sells 6,531 Shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) Stock

Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) CAO Desmond J. Mills sold 6,531 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.86, for a total value of $521,565.66. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $932,764.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Weatherford International Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WFRD opened at $78.55 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. Weatherford International plc has a 52-week low of $77.29 and a 52-week high of $135.00. The stock has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.03, a PEG ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $91.78 and a 200-day moving average price of $108.93.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. Weatherford International had a net margin of 9.65% and a return on equity of 46.25%. Weatherford International’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Weatherford International plc will post 6.74 EPS for the current year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 6th. Weatherford International’s payout ratio is 14.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WFRD shares. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Weatherford International from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of Weatherford International in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on Weatherford International from $161.00 to $158.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Weatherford International from $155.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Weatherford International from $154.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Weatherford International currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $144.88.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Weatherford International

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. First Hawaiian Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the second quarter worth about $1,653,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Weatherford International by 669.1% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 16,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,872,000 after acquiring an additional 14,112 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP boosted its position in Weatherford International by 79.7% in the 1st quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 11,985 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 5,315 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 107.2% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 23,527 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,715,000 after purchasing an additional 12,170 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 6,409,020 shares of the company’s stock worth $739,730,000 after purchasing an additional 182,120 shares during the period. 97.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.