Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $103.25.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on WFRD. Benchmark cut their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $80.00 to $62.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James downgraded shares of Weatherford International from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $73.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Weatherford International from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 31st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Weatherford International

In other news, CFO Arunava Mitra sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $675,700.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 21,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,423,835.04. This trade represents a 32.18 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Desmond J. Mills sold 19,425 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total transaction of $1,311,381.75. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 17,899 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,208,361.49. The trade was a 52.04 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 87,930 shares of company stock valued at $5,861,718 in the last 90 days. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Weatherford International

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 130.8% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in Weatherford International by 190.4% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 392 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. bought a new stake in Weatherford International in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 546.7% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 595 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 55.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 645 shares of the company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 231 shares during the period. 97.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Weatherford International Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WFRD traded up $0.21 during trading on Friday, reaching $41.95. 237,441 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,096,792. Weatherford International has a 1-year low of $36.74 and a 1-year high of $135.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.70. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.83.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.14. Weatherford International had a return on equity of 40.65% and a net margin of 9.18%. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. Analysts anticipate that Weatherford International will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.38%. Weatherford International's payout ratio is 14.88%.

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.