Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) Shares Purchased by Capital World Investors

Capital World Investors increased its holdings in shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) by 10.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,298,137 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 121,153 shares during the quarter. Capital World Investors owned about 1.79% of Weatherford International worth $92,986,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the third quarter valued at approximately $571,000. New York Life Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Weatherford International in the 4th quarter valued at $546,000. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 154.7% in the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 38,993 shares of the company's stock worth $2,813,000 after acquiring an additional 23,685 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 9.5% during the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 500,005 shares of the company's stock worth $35,815,000 after acquiring an additional 43,182 shares during the period. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Weatherford International during the 4th quarter valued at about $7,215,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.23% of the company's stock.

Weatherford International Trading Up 3.1 %

Weatherford International stock traded up $1.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $42.74. 2,610,496 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,113,385. The firm has a market cap of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of 6.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $52.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $68.48. Weatherford International plc has a 12-month low of $36.74 and a 12-month high of $135.00.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.14. Weatherford International had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 40.65%. The business had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.21 billion. Research analysts expect that Weatherford International plc will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.34%. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.88%.

Insider Transactions at Weatherford International

In related news, CFO Arunava Mitra sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 21,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,423,835.04. This represents a 32.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Desmond J. Mills sold 19,425 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total value of $1,311,381.75. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 17,899 shares in the company, valued at $1,208,361.49. This trade represents a 52.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 87,930 shares of company stock valued at $5,861,718. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WFRD shares. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $80.00 to $62.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Benchmark decreased their price objective on Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays cut their target price on Weatherford International from $85.00 to $77.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Raymond James lowered Weatherford International from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $73.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $99.75.

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.