30,723 Shares in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) Acquired by Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA bought a new stake in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 30,723 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,609,000.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFRD. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 19.3% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,722,281 shares of the company's stock worth $315,240,000 after purchasing an additional 439,700 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC grew its holdings in Weatherford International by 30.6% in the 3rd quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,324,101 shares of the company's stock valued at $112,443,000 after buying an additional 310,259 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Weatherford International by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 657,953 shares of the company's stock worth $80,566,000 after buying an additional 38,700 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 33.0% during the second quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 631,862 shares of the company's stock worth $77,372,000 after buying an additional 156,756 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP boosted its position in shares of Weatherford International by 89.0% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 612,242 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,969,000 after acquiring an additional 288,290 shares during the period. 97.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Weatherford International Price Performance

WFRD stock traded up $1.84 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $83.83. 14,502 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 907,238. The stock has a market cap of $6.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.71 and a beta of 0.60. Weatherford International plc has a one year low of $77.00 and a one year high of $135.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $86.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $104.28.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.42 billion. Weatherford International had a net margin of 9.65% and a return on equity of 46.25%. Weatherford International's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.66 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Weatherford International plc will post 6.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 6th. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio is currently 14.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WFRD has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $149.00 to $142.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $154.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Weatherford International from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Weatherford International in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Weatherford International has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $147.29.

Insider Buying and Selling at Weatherford International

In other Weatherford International news, CAO Desmond J. Mills sold 6,531 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.86, for a total value of $521,565.66. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $932,764.80. This trade represents a 35.86 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David John Reed sold 6,805 shares of Weatherford International stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.96, for a total value of $639,397.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.60% 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.