Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) Trading Up 0.3% - What's Next?

Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB - Get Free Report) was up 0.3% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $41.38 and last traded at $41.07. Approximately 2,772,774 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 81% from the average daily volume of 14,969,898 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.94.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SLB has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on Schlumberger from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Susquehanna reduced their target price on shares of Schlumberger from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Atb Cap Markets cut Schlumberger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Schlumberger to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $55.81.

Schlumberger Trading Up 0.2 %

The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.64 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.65. The firm has a market cap of $57.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.19, a PEG ratio of 9.98 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.45.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, January 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.02. Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 21.90%. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.86 earnings per share. Schlumberger's revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be paid a $0.285 dividend. This is a positive change from Schlumberger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. Schlumberger's dividend payout ratio is currently 35.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Schlumberger

In related news, VP Ugo Prechner sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.20, for a total transaction of $309,400.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,240 shares of the company's stock, valued at $496,808. This represents a 38.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 60,000 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 210,502 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 258,258 shares of company stock valued at $11,219,004. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Schlumberger

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of SLB. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Schlumberger by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 90,209,014 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,808,476,000 after purchasing an additional 528,279 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Schlumberger by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 28,608,226 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,195,290,000 after buying an additional 239,966 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Schlumberger by 12,289.6% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 13,043,359 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $500,082,000 after acquiring an additional 12,938,082 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Schlumberger by 20.6% during the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 11,213,944 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $470,425,000 after acquiring an additional 1,916,851 shares during the period. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp boosted its position in Schlumberger by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 8,103,715 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $310,696,000 after purchasing an additional 915,925 shares during the last quarter. 81.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.

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