Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) Shares Bought by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) by 29.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 280,510 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 63,775 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned about 0.39% of Weatherford International worth $20,093,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 17,072 shares of the company's stock worth $1,223,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised 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 period. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new position in shares of Weatherford International in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Weatherford International during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,260 shares of the company's stock worth $448,000 after buying an additional 661 shares during the last quarter. 97.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David John Reed sold 4,762 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 30.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Scott C. Weatherholt sold 44,505 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total transaction of $2,944,895.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 125,019 shares in the company, valued at $8,272,507.23. The trade was a 26.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 92,692 shares of company stock worth $6,207,725. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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Weatherford International Stock Down 16.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ WFRD traded down $8.85 during trading on Thursday, reaching $45.41. 2,012,987 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,029,803. The business's 50-day moving average price is $60.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.92. The company has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.61. Weatherford International plc has a twelve month low of $45.00 and a twelve month high of $135.00. 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 - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Weatherford International plc will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WFRD shares. Raymond James reduced their target price on Weatherford International from $107.00 to $97.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Weatherford International from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Benchmark cut their price target on shares of Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Weatherford International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut 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 given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.75.

Weatherford International 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.