Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) has been given a consensus rating of “Buy” by the eight brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $150.75.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $155.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Weatherford International in a report on Wednesday, July 24th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. Raymond James decreased their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $161.00 to $158.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 25th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 25th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David John Reed sold 6,805 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.96, for a total transaction of $639,397.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Weatherford International

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFRD. SCP Investment LP purchased a new position in shares of Weatherford International in the fourth quarter worth about $360,000. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC purchased a new position in shares of Weatherford International during the 4th quarter valued at about $497,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the 4th quarter valued at $3,309,000. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Weatherford International by 189.0% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 289 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the period. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc bought a new position in Weatherford International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $7,670,000. Institutional investors own 97.23% of the company’s stock.

Weatherford International Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WFRD opened at $86.97 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $6.36 billion, a PE ratio of 14.07, a PEG ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.61. Weatherford International has a 52 week low of $82.16 and a 52 week high of $135.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a current ratio of 1.99. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $101.10 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $113.58.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.66 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by ($0.08). The company had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. Weatherford International had a return on equity of 49.69% and a net margin of 9.19%. The company’s revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Weatherford International will post 6.81 earnings per share for the current year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. Weatherford International’s payout ratio is 16.18%.

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.