Core Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:CLB) Shares Sold by Earnest Partners LLC

Earnest Partners LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Core Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:CLB - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,684,720 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 71,998 shares during the period. Earnest Partners LLC owned about 7.85% of Core Laboratories worth $63,783,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CLB. Assetmark Inc. bought a new stake in Core Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Core Laboratories by 173.8% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,037 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,293 shares during the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Core Laboratories by 2,688.5% during the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,426 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 2,339 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its position in Core Laboratories by 843.7% during the fourth quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 3,284 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 2,936 shares during the last quarter. Finally, KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new stake in Core Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $149,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.81% of the company's stock.

Core Laboratories Stock Performance

NYSE:CLB traded up $0.65 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $12.33. The company had a trading volume of 337,225 shares, compared to its average volume of 396,314. The firm has a market cap of $577.83 million, a PE ratio of 18.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.99 and a beta of 1.99. Core Laboratories Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.14 and a 1-year high of $25.13. The business's 50 day moving average price is $13.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 2.32 and a quick ratio of 1.71.

Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $123.59 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $125.09 million. Core Laboratories had a return on equity of 16.24% and a net margin of 5.99%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.19 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Core Laboratories Inc. will post 0.96 EPS for the current year.

Core Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 5th will be given a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.32%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 5th. Core Laboratories's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.78%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered Core Laboratories from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Core Laboratories from $19.00 to $15.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Citigroup raised Core Laboratories from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $15.00 to $16.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $15.75.

Core Laboratories Profile

Core Laboratories Inc provides reservoir description and production enhancement services and products to the oil and gas industry in the United States, and internationally. It operates through Reservoir Description and Production Enhancement segments. The Reservoir Description segment includes the characterization of petroleum reservoir rock and reservoir fluid samples to enhance production and improve recovery of crude oil and gas from its clients' reservoirs.