Boston Partners Has $198.88 Million Stock Position in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD)

Boston Partners lifted its stake in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) by 5.5% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,777,128 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 144,396 shares during the period. Boston Partners’ holdings in Weatherford International were worth $198,877,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Weatherford International by 130.8% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Weatherford International by 643.0% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 1,106 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Weatherford International by 11,606.3% in the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,873 shares of the company’s stock valued at $134,000 after acquiring an additional 1,857 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.23% of the company’s stock.

Weatherford International Trading Down 3.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WFRD opened at $53.67 on Wednesday. Weatherford International plc has a 12-month low of $51.24 and a 12-month high of $135.00. The stock 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 business has a 50 day moving average of $64.87 and a 200-day moving average of $77.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 40.65% and a net margin of 9.18%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Weatherford International plc will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Weatherford International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Investors of record on Friday, February 21st will be paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Weatherford International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WFRD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup lowered their target price on Weatherford International from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Weatherford International from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays reduced their price target on Weatherford International from $100.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Raymond James reduced their price target on Weatherford International from $107.00 to $97.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Benchmark reduced their price target on Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.63.

Insider Activity at Weatherford International

In related news, CFO Arunava Mitra sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $675,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 21,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,423,835.04. The trade was a 32.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David John Reed sold 4,762 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.66, for a total value of $346,006.92. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 11,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $807,179.94. This trade represents a 30.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 92,692 shares of company stock worth $6,207,725. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

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.