Weatherford International PLC (NASDAQ:WFRD) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• Weatherford International has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from nine analysts, with six buys, two holds and one sell. The average 12-month price target is $115.29 versus the stock’s reported $85.49 opening price.
• The company exceeded third-quarter expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $1.66 versus the $1.33 consensus and revenue of $1.14 billion versus $1.13 billion expected. However, revenue declined 7.2% year over year, and several analysts recently reduced their price targets.
• Weatherford maintained its quarterly dividend at $0.275 per share, equating to $1.10 annually and a roughly 1.3% yield; the dividend payout ratio is 19.61%.

Weatherford International PLC (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine research firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $115.29.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on WFRD shares. Zacks Research cut Weatherford International from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Raymond James Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $125.00 to $122.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $151.00 to $148.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on Weatherford International from $106.00 to $94.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $118.00 to $110.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday.

Weatherford International Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WFRD opened at $85.49 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $85.86 and a 200 day moving average of $92.31. Weatherford International has a one year low of $65.13 and a one year high of $113.15. The firm has a market cap of $6.11 billion, a PE ratio of 15.24, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a current ratio of 2.34.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The company reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.33. Weatherford International had a return on equity of 23.17% and a net margin of 8.64%. The business had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Weatherford International will post 5.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.2750 per share. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.61%.

Key Weatherford International News

Here are the key news stories impacting Weatherford International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Weatherford reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.66, surpassing the $1.33 analyst consensus and rising from $1.12 in the prior-year quarter. Revenue of $1.14 billion also modestly exceeded the $1.13 billion estimate. Weatherford Q3 EPS earnings flash
• Positive Sentiment: The earnings beat was driven primarily by the bottom line: EPS exceeded estimates by roughly 25%, while year-over-year earnings improved despite lower revenue. Reports also highlighted real cash-flow generation, supporting the quality of the results. Weatherford Q3 earnings and cash flow
• Positive Sentiment: The company maintained its quarterly dividend at $0.275 per share, equal to $1.10 annualized and a yield of approximately 1.3%. The dividend supports shareholder returns, although the upcoming ex-dividend date is November 6.
• Neutral Sentiment: Weatherford’s updated fourth-quarter and full-year 2026 revenue guidance were both generally in line with expectations: $1.3 billion for the fourth quarter and $4.7 billion for the full year. This offers limited evidence of an upward revenue revision but reduces the risk of a near-term outlook shortfall.
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue fell 7.2% year over year, underscoring continued pressure on top-line growth even though the decline was expected.
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler and Citigroup lowered their expectations for Weatherford’s stock price, potentially limiting investor enthusiasm despite the strong quarterly earnings performance. Piper Sandler lowers Weatherford expectations

Insider Buying and Selling at Weatherford International

In related news, Director Jacqueline Mutschler sold 4,094 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.50, for a total transaction of $370,507.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 29,093 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,632,916.50. This represents a 12.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.07% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 12.4% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,760,467 shares of the company's stock valued at $166,505,000 after purchasing an additional 194,654 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Weatherford International by 15.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 794,732 shares of the company's stock valued at $75,166,000 after purchasing an additional 106,716 shares during the period. Canoe Financial LP acquired a new position in shares of Weatherford International in the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,052,000. Readystate Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Weatherford International in the 2nd quarter valued at $15,269,000. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System raised its stake in Weatherford International by 13.8% during the 1st quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 171,477 shares of the company's stock valued at $16,218,000 after purchasing an additional 20,803 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.23% of the company's stock.

Weatherford International Company Profile

Weatherford International plc is an energy services company that provides equipment, technology and services to the oil and natural gas industry. Its offerings support the life cycle of a well, from drilling and formation evaluation to completion, production, intervention and abandonment.

The company's product and service portfolio includes drilling systems, well logging and evaluation tools, completion equipment, artificial-lift systems, production optimization technologies, well intervention services and digital solutions.

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