Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) Trading 0.5% Higher - Time to Buy?

Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB - Get Free Report) shares traded up 0.5% during mid-day trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $43.93 and last traded at $43.38. 1,027,361 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 11,230,820 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.18.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SLB has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $49.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 25th. Dbs Bank started coverage on Schlumberger in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. They set a "buy" rating and a $64.50 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Schlumberger from $64.00 to $60.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Schlumberger from $74.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised Schlumberger to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $60.97.

Schlumberger Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $42.40 and a 200 day moving average of $44.67. The company has a market capitalization of $61.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.52.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, October 18th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $9.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.27 billion. Schlumberger had a return on equity of 21.84% and a net margin of 12.44%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.78 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.4 earnings per share for the current year.

Schlumberger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 9th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 4th will be given a dividend of $0.275 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, December 4th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.53%. Schlumberger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.37%.

Insider Transactions at Schlumberger

In other Schlumberger news, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 60,000 shares of Schlumberger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total transaction of $2,514,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 211,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,880,160.30. This trade represents a 22.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Schlumberger

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SLB. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of Schlumberger by 72.3% in the 1st quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 88,950,956 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,875,402,000 after purchasing an additional 37,333,485 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of Schlumberger by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 85,986,039 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,712,897,000 after purchasing an additional 10,606,191 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners raised its position in shares of Schlumberger by 35.8% during the 1st quarter. Boston Partners now owns 11,640,827 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $635,883,000 after buying an additional 3,069,395 shares during the period. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $92,944,000. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $91,364,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.99% of the company's stock.

About Schlumberger

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.

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