Encompass Capital Advisors LLC Reduces Stake in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

Encompass Capital Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,105,040 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 8,591 shares during the period. Schlumberger comprises 1.6% of Encompass Capital Advisors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest position. Encompass Capital Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Schlumberger worth $42,367,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SLB. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Schlumberger by 8.0% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,487,067 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $188,232,000 after acquiring an additional 332,500 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its holdings in Schlumberger by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 19,344 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $742,000 after purchasing an additional 1,331 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its holdings in Schlumberger by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 18,518 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $710,000 after purchasing an additional 1,029 shares during the period. First Hawaiian Bank increased its holdings in Schlumberger by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 53,374 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,046,000 after purchasing an additional 1,064 shares during the period. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Schlumberger by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 706,511 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $27,088,000 after purchasing an additional 6,505 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.99% of the company's stock.

Schlumberger Stock Performance

Schlumberger stock traded up $0.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $34.51. 7,407,388 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 13,430,644. Schlumberger Limited has a twelve month low of $31.11 and a twelve month high of $50.94. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $37.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.45. The firm has a market cap of $46.94 billion, a PE ratio of 11.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.06.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.01). Schlumberger had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 12.29%. The company had revenue of $8.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.64 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.75 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Schlumberger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.285 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 4th. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. Schlumberger's payout ratio is 38.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on SLB. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup upped their price target on Schlumberger from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Barclays cut their price target on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Schlumberger from $60.00 to $59.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $53.32.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Gavin Rennick sold 26,990 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.92, for a total value of $1,104,430.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 53,584 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,192,657.28. This trade represents a 33.50% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Aparna Raman sold 25,133 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.28, for a total value of $1,062,623.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 31,031 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,311,990.68. This represents a 44.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Schlumberger Company Profile

Schlumberger Limited engages in the provision of technology for the energy industry worldwide. The company operates through four divisions: Digital & Integration, Reservoir Performance, Well Construction, and Production Systems. The company provides field development and hydrocarbon production, carbon management, and integration of adjacent energy systems; reservoir interpretation and data processing services for exploration data; and well construction and production improvement services and products.