Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. Invests $2 Million in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

Littlejohn Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 52,272 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $2,004,000. Schlumberger comprises approximately 1.8% of Littlejohn Financial Services Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest holding.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in Schlumberger by 205.6% in the 3rd quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 15,636 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $656,000 after acquiring an additional 10,520 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Schlumberger by 393.5% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 607 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Schlumberger by 10.9% in the third quarter. Foster Victor Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,980 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $309,000 after purchasing an additional 684 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. lifted its position in shares of Schlumberger by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 18,172 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $762,000 after purchasing an additional 755 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Schlumberger by 29.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 383,827 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $16,102,000 after purchasing an additional 86,608 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.99% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Mogharbel Khaled Al sold 123,097 shares of Schlumberger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.09, for a total value of $5,427,346.73. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,626 shares in the company, valued at $8,140,160.34. This trade represents a 40.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Bejar Carmen Rando sold 5,524 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.41, for a total transaction of $223,224.84. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 30,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,245,799.89. The trade was a 15.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 263,782 shares of company stock valued at $11,442,229. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Schlumberger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SLB traded down $0.34 during trading on Monday, reaching $41.75. The stock had a trading volume of 12,223,889 shares, compared to its average volume of 15,414,117. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.48 billion, a PE ratio of 13.42, a P/E/G ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 1.51. Schlumberger Limited has a 52 week low of $36.52 and a 52 week high of $55.69. The business's 50-day moving average price is $40.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. Schlumberger had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 12.29%. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a $0.285 dividend. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This is a boost from Schlumberger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Schlumberger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SLB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $57.00 price objective on shares of Schlumberger in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Schlumberger from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Atb Cap Markets lowered shares of Schlumberger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $55.81.

Schlumberger Profile

Schlumberger Limited engages in the provision of technology for the energy industry worldwide. The company operates through four divisions: Digital & Integration, Reservoir Performance, Well Construction, and Production Systems. The company provides field development and hydrocarbon production, carbon management, and integration of adjacent energy systems; reservoir interpretation and data processing services for exploration data; and well construction and production improvement services and products.