EFG Asset Management North America Corp. Buys 17,332 Shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD)

EFG Asset Management North America Corp. increased its position in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) by 105.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 33,781 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,332 shares during the period. EFG Asset Management North America Corp.'s holdings in Weatherford International were worth $2,420,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WFRD. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Weatherford International by 130.8% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Weatherford International by 643.0% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company's stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Weatherford International by 11,606.3% during the fourth quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,873 shares of the company's stock worth $134,000 after acquiring an additional 1,857 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.23% of the company's stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Weatherford International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $132.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Weatherford International from $100.00 to $92.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Benchmark reduced their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Weatherford International from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $107.00 to $97.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $107.63.

Insider Activity

In other Weatherford International news, EVP Scott C. Weatherholt sold 44,505 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $2,944,895.85. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 125,019 shares in the company, valued at $8,272,507.23. The trade was a 26.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Desmond J. Mills sold 19,425 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total transaction of $1,311,381.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 17,899 shares of the company's stock, 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. Insiders have sold a total of 92,692 shares of company stock valued at $6,207,725 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Weatherford International Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WFRD traded down $1.59 during trading on Friday, reaching $53.10. 717,305 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,025,644. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $62.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $74.88. The stock has a market cap of $3.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.01. Weatherford International plc has a 52-week low of $51.24 and a 52-week high of $135.00.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts expect that Weatherford International plc will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio is presently 14.88%.

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.