Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 189 Shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD)

Securian Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 5,492 shares of the company’s stock after selling 189 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Weatherford International were worth $393,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFRD. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its stake in Weatherford International by 130.8% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in Weatherford International during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp bought a new stake in Weatherford International during the third quarter worth about $42,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Weatherford International by 643.0% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Weatherford International by 11,606.3% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,873 shares of the company’s stock worth $134,000 after purchasing an additional 1,857 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.23% of the company’s stock.

Weatherford International Stock Down 3.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WFRD opened at $53.67 on Wednesday. Weatherford International plc has a 1 year low of $51.24 and a 1 year high of $135.00. The company has a market cap of $3.91 billion, a PE ratio of 7.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $64.87 and its 200 day moving average is $77.03.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) last announced its quarterly 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 net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 40.65%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Weatherford International plc will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

Weatherford International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Weatherford International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Weatherford International news, EVP David John Reed sold 4,762 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.66, for a total transaction of $346,006.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,109 shares in the company, valued at approximately $807,179.94. This represents a 30.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott C. Weatherholt sold 44,505 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $8,272,507.23. This trade represents a 26.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 92,692 shares of company stock worth $6,207,725. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WFRD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Weatherford International from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 10th. Benchmark lowered their target price on Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup lowered their target price 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. Barclays lowered their target price on Weatherford International from $100.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Weatherford International from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $132.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $107.63.

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.