State of Alaska Department of Revenue Boosts Stock Holdings in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD)

State of Alaska Department of Revenue increased its position in shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) by 246.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,530 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 19,575 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue's holdings in Weatherford International were worth $2,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFRD. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Weatherford International by 86.7% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,352 shares of the company's stock valued at $132,000 after buying an additional 628 shares in the last quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System increased its holdings in Weatherford International by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 17,800 shares of the company's stock worth $2,054,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Weatherford International during the first quarter worth $33,000. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp lifted its holdings in Weatherford International by 1.6% during the first quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 63,290 shares of the company's stock valued at $7,305,000 after purchasing an additional 998 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the first quarter valued at about $206,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.23% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Weatherford International

In related news, EVP David John Reed sold 6,805 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.96, for a total value of $639,397.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, EVP David John Reed sold 6,805 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.96, for a total transaction of $639,397.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Desmond J. Mills sold 6,531 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.86, for a total transaction of $521,565.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,680 shares in the company, valued at $932,764.80. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Weatherford International Trading Down 1.9 %

Weatherford International stock traded down $1.50 during trading on Friday, reaching $77.50. 795,961 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,177,491. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $90.67 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $108.42. The company has a market capitalization of $5.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.88, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.49. Weatherford International plc has a 52-week low of $77.00 and a 52-week high of $135.00.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. Weatherford International had a return on equity of 46.25% and a net margin of 9.65%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.66 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Weatherford International plc will post 6.74 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 6th. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WFRD has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Weatherford International from $149.00 to $142.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays reduced their target price on Weatherford International from $154.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Weatherford International from $155.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Bank of America dropped their price target on Weatherford International from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price objective on Weatherford International from $161.00 to $158.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 25th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Weatherford International presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $144.88.

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.