Violich Capital Management Inc. Cuts Holdings in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

Violich Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB - Free Report) by 24.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 54,250 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 18,033 shares during the period. Violich Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $2,080,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Schlumberger by 393.5% during the 3rd quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 607 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 484 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.99% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Schlumberger news, VP Ugo Prechner sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.20, for a total value of $309,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 11,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $496,808. This represents a 38.38 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Bejar Carmen Rando sold 5,524 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.41, for a total value of $223,224.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 30,829 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,245,799.89. The trade was a 15.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 263,782 shares of company stock valued at $11,442,229. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Schlumberger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SLB traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $41.75. 12,223,889 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 14,353,111. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $40.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.42, a PEG ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 1.51. 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 Limited has a one year low of $36.52 and a one year high of $55.69.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. Schlumberger had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 12.29%. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $9.24 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. Schlumberger's revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a $0.285 dividend. This is a boost from Schlumberger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. Schlumberger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SLB has been the topic of several recent research reports. Susquehanna cut their price target on Schlumberger from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Atb Cap Markets downgraded Schlumberger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Citigroup upped their price target on Schlumberger from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Schlumberger from $64.00 to $61.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $57.00 price objective on shares of Schlumberger in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Six 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $55.81.

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.