Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) Shares Down 0.2% - Time to Sell?

Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB - Get Free Report) shares were down 0.2% on Monday . The company traded as low as $42.00 and last traded at $42.15. Approximately 3,416,803 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 15,073,184 shares. The stock had previously closed at $42.25.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on SLB shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays decreased their target price on Schlumberger from $61.00 to $53.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Citigroup upped their price target on Schlumberger from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Atb Cap Markets lowered Schlumberger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Schlumberger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $55.81.

Schlumberger Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $56.32 billion, a PE ratio of 12.93, a PEG ratio of 9.70 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The company has a 50-day moving average of $40.49 and a 200 day moving average of $42.58.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.24 billion. Schlumberger had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 12.29%. Schlumberger's revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a dividend of $0.285 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.84%. This is a boost from Schlumberger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Schlumberger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Vijay Kasibhatla sold 25,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.94, for a total value of $1,098,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 49,595 shares in the company, valued at $2,179,204.30. The trade was a 33.51 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Bejar Carmen Rando sold 5,524 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.41, for a total transaction of $223,224.84. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 30,829 shares in the company, valued at $1,245,799.89. The trade was a 15.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 263,782 shares of company stock worth $11,442,229. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Schlumberger

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SLB. ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in Schlumberger by 393.5% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 607 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 484 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Schlumberger during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new position in Schlumberger during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Schlumberger in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 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.