Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) Shares Down 1.2% on Insider Selling

Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB - Get Free Report)'s stock price traded down 1.2% during trading on Friday following insider selling activity. The company traded as low as $39.85 and last traded at $40.52. 3,300,603 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 78% from the average session volume of 14,761,776 shares. The stock had previously closed at $41.02.

Specifically, insider Bejar Carmen Rando sold 5,524 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,829 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,245,799.89. This represents a 15.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 60,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.44, for a total value of $2,486,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 210,502 shares in the company, valued at $8,723,202.88. This represents a 22.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SLB has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Atb Cap Markets lowered shares of Schlumberger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on Schlumberger from $58.00 to $54.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 14th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Griffin Securities cut shares of Schlumberger from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $55.81.

Schlumberger Stock Down 2.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The business's 50 day moving average price is $40.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $42.54. The firm has a market cap of $56.32 billion, a PE ratio of 12.93, a PEG ratio of 9.70 and a beta of 1.52.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.24 billion. Schlumberger had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 12.29%. The business's revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a $0.285 dividend. This is an increase from Schlumberger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.84%. Schlumberger's dividend payout ratio is presently 35.37%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky raised its stake in Schlumberger by 25.9% during the third quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 761,875 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $31,961,000 after purchasing an additional 156,698 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in shares of Schlumberger by 27.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 76,838 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,223,000 after buying an additional 16,350 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Schlumberger by 8.7% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 817,771 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $34,305,000 after acquiring an additional 65,318 shares during the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Schlumberger by 269.1% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,718 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $827,000 after acquiring an additional 14,376 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Schlumberger by 26.0% during the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 307,040 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $12,880,000 after acquiring an additional 63,413 shares during the last quarter. 81.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Schlumberger Company 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.