Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.30 EPS

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.30), Zacks reports. Weatherford International had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 40.65%.

Weatherford International Price Performance

WFRD traded up $1.49 on Friday, reaching $66.85. 2,070,441 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,360,368. Weatherford International has a twelve month low of $60.45 and a twelve month high of $135.00. The stock has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a PE ratio of 9.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 2.80 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $71.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $85.87.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Weatherford International

In other news, EVP Scott C. Weatherholt sold 44,505 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $2,944,895.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 125,019 shares in the company, valued at $8,272,507.23. This represents a 26.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David John Reed sold 4,762 shares of Weatherford International stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.66, for a total value of $346,006.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 11,109 shares in the company, valued at approximately $807,179.94. The trade was a 30.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on WFRD. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Weatherford International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $132.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Weatherford International from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of Weatherford International from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $107.00 to $97.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on Weatherford International in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $87.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Weatherford International presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $109.88.

Weatherford International Company Profile

Weatherford International plc, an energy services company, provides equipment and services for the drilling, evaluation, completion, production, and intervention of oil, geothermal, and natural gas wells worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Drilling and Evaluation; Well Construction and Completions; and Production and Intervention.