Barclays PLC Increases Position in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD)

Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) by 83.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,454 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 26,105 shares during the period. Barclays PLC owned 0.08% of Weatherford International worth $4,114,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WFRD. Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its position in 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 during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Weatherford International by 190.4% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 392 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. purchased a new stake in Weatherford International during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Weatherford International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 30.1% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 926 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. 97.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WFRD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays decreased their price target on Weatherford International from $85.00 to $77.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 25th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $80.00 to $62.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Raymond James lowered shares of Weatherford International from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $73.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Benchmark reduced their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $99.75.

Insider Buying and Selling at Weatherford International

In related news, CAO Desmond J. Mills sold 19,425 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total value of $1,311,381.75. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 17,899 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,208,361.49. This represents a 52.04 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Arunava Mitra sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $675,700.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 21,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,423,835.04. The trade was a 32.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 43,425 shares of company stock worth $2,916,822. 1.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Weatherford International Price Performance

WFRD stock traded up $1.31 during trading on Thursday, reaching $42.71. 1,232,446 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,127,655. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.01. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $50.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $67.09. Weatherford International plc has a 52-week low of $36.74 and a 52-week high of $135.00. The company has a market cap of $3.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.35, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.70.

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

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio is presently 16.00%.

Weatherford International 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.