Analysts Set Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) Price Target at $140.50

Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus recommendation of "Buy" by the eight analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $140.50.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WFRD. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $154.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $155.00 price target on shares of Weatherford International in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on Weatherford International from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Weatherford International from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their target price for the company from $132.00 to $98.00 in a report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Weatherford International from $115.00 to $110.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th.

Insider Activity at Weatherford International

In related news, CAO Desmond J. Mills sold 6,531 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.86, for a total value of $521,565.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 11,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $932,764.80. The trade was a 35.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Weatherford International

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WFRD. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Weatherford International by 31.0% during the 2nd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 359 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Weatherford International by 36.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 523 shares of the company's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 20.7% during the second quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 1,063 shares of the company's stock worth $129,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,945 shares of the company's stock worth $165,000 after acquiring an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 26.7% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 949 shares of the company's stock valued at $116,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.23% of the company's stock.

Weatherford International Stock Performance

Shares of WFRD stock traded down $2.35 on Monday, hitting $73.74. 902,543 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 898,568. The firm's 50 day moving average is $83.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.02. Weatherford International has a one year low of $73.55 and a one year high of $135.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a PE ratio of 10.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.64 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The company reported $2.06 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.65 by $0.41. Weatherford International had a net margin of 9.65% and a return on equity of 46.25%. The firm had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.66 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Weatherford International will post 6.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 6th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 6th. Weatherford International's payout ratio is 14.04%.

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.