Renaissance Technologies LLC Purchases 167,090 Shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD)

Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its stake in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) by 25.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 813,943 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 167,090 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC owned 1.12% of Weatherford International worth $58,303,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFRD. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 130.8% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of Weatherford International by 190.4% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 392 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. bought a new position in shares of Weatherford International during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Weatherford International by 643.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company's stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares in the last quarter. 97.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Weatherford International

In other Weatherford International news, EVP Scott C. Weatherholt sold 44,505 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was 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 approximately $8,272,507.23. The trade was a 26.25 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Arunava Mitra sold 10,000 shares of Weatherford International stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 32.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 87,930 shares of company stock worth $5,861,718. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Weatherford International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WFRD traded up $0.40 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $43.89. 207,035 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,074,389. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.16 and a 200-day simple moving average of $70.68. Weatherford International plc has a 1-year low of $36.74 and a 1-year high of $135.00. The firm has a market cap of $3.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.70.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.80 by ($0.30). Weatherford International had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 40.65%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Weatherford International plc will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on WFRD. Raymond James lowered their price target on Weatherford International from $97.00 to $73.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Benchmark dropped their price target on Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.75.

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.