Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 21,165 Shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD)

Natixis Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) by 33.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 42,104 shares of the company's stock after selling 21,165 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Weatherford International worth $3,576,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WFRD. Boston Partners lifted its position in shares of Weatherford International by 19.3% in the first quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,722,281 shares of the company's stock valued at $315,240,000 after buying an additional 439,700 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Weatherford International during the second quarter worth $51,287,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 5,525.3% in the first quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 359,569 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,501,000 after purchasing an additional 353,177 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in shares of Weatherford International by 89.0% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 612,242 shares of the company's stock valued at $74,969,000 after purchasing an additional 288,290 shares during the period. Finally, AGF Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Weatherford International during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,951,000. 97.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Weatherford International Price Performance

WFRD traded up $0.51 on Friday, hitting $85.83. 1,055,908 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 972,564. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05, a PEG ratio of 0.72 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 12 month low of $77.00 and a 12 month high of $135.00. The business has a 50-day moving average of $86.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $104.57.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.42 billion. Weatherford International had a net margin of 9.65% and a return on equity of 46.25%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.66 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Weatherford International plc will post 6.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 6th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.17%. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Weatherford International news, EVP David John Reed sold 6,805 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Desmond J. Mills sold 6,531 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.86, for a total value of $521,565.66. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $932,764.80. This trade represents a 35.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on WFRD shares. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Weatherford International from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Barclays lowered their target price on Weatherford International from $154.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup reduced their price target on Weatherford International from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Weatherford International from $149.00 to $142.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $155.00 target price on shares of Weatherford International in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $147.29.

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.