Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) Trading Down 2.8% – Time to Sell?

Shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) traded down 2.8% on Friday . The company traded as low as $89.10 and last traded at $89.21. 142,048 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 84% from the average session volume of 884,181 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.76.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WFRD shares. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Weatherford International from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 14th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of Weatherford International in a research note on Wednesday, July 24th. Raymond James dropped their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $161.00 to $158.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Weatherford International from $155.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Weatherford International from $165.00 to $154.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $146.88.

Weatherford International Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $6.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $95.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $111.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $1.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.74 by ($0.08). The firm had revenue of $1.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. Weatherford International had a return on equity of 49.69% and a net margin of 9.19%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.12 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Weatherford International plc will post 6.72 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 13th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 13th. Weatherford International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 16.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP David John Reed sold 6,805 shares of Weatherford International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.96, for a total value of $639,397.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Weatherford International by 86.7% in the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,352 shares of the company’s stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 628 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC bought a new position in Weatherford International in the first quarter valued at approximately $253,000. FCF Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Weatherford International during the first quarter valued at approximately $818,000. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC bought a new stake in Weatherford International during the first quarter worth $46,000. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 44.1% in the 1st quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 69,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,964,000 after purchasing an additional 21,100 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.23% of the company’s stock.

Weatherford International Company Profile

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.