Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) Shares Purchased by Verition Fund Management LLC

Verition Fund Management LLC grew its position in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) by 223.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,533 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 18,326 shares during the quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC's holdings in Weatherford International were worth $2,253,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 364.9% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 358 shares of the company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. nVerses Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 31.0% during the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 359 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 36.9% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 523 shares of the company's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp raised its holdings in Weatherford International by 1,516.2% during the third quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 598 shares of the company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 561 shares in the last quarter. 97.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Weatherford International Price Performance

Shares of Weatherford International stock traded down $5.14 on Friday, hitting $77.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 700,018 shares, compared to its average volume of 902,588. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The company has a market capitalization of $5.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $85.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $102.31. Weatherford International plc has a 52-week low of $76.84 and a 52-week high of $135.00.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $1.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.66 EPS. The company's revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Weatherford International plc will post 6.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 6th were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 6th. Weatherford International's payout ratio is currently 14.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have issued reports on WFRD. Bank of America dropped their target price on Weatherford International from $145.00 to $130.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $155.00 price objective on shares of Weatherford International in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays reduced their target price on Weatherford International from $154.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Weatherford International from $130.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $149.00 to $142.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Weatherford International currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $147.29.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Desmond J. Mills sold 6,531 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.86, for a total transaction of $521,565.66. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 11,680 shares in the company, valued at $932,764.80. This trade represents a 35.86 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.