Advisor Resource Council Makes New Investment in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

Advisor Resource Council purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 14,009 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $586,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Schlumberger in the fourth quarter worth about $735,398,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its stake in shares of Schlumberger by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 75,986,195 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,913,312,000 after purchasing an additional 5,225,828 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Schlumberger by 3,112.1% in the 4th quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 3,627,051 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $139,059,000 after purchasing an additional 3,514,134 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in shares of Schlumberger by 12.2% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 28,737,703 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,101,804,000 after purchasing an additional 3,119,543 shares during the period. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Schlumberger by 43,028.0% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,652,804 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $101,708,000 after purchasing an additional 2,646,653 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 81.99% of the company's stock.

Schlumberger Stock Up 1.9%

NYSE:SLB traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $33.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 14,207,913 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,673,929. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. Schlumberger Limited has a 1 year low of $31.11 and a 1 year high of $50.94. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $34.51 and a 200-day moving average of $37.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.98 billion, a PE ratio of 11.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 8.60 and a beta of 1.01.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.73 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $8.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.64 billion. Schlumberger had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 11.62%. Schlumberger's revenue for the quarter was down 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.75 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Schlumberger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a $0.285 dividend. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 4th. Schlumberger's payout ratio is 38.64%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on SLB shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $46.00 to $43.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, June 5th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on Schlumberger from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Schlumberger from $58.00 to $54.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Four investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $52.03.

Insider Transactions at Schlumberger

In other Schlumberger news, 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 in the company, valued at $1,311,990.68. This trade represents a 44.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director La Chevardiere Patrick De sold 5,000 shares of Schlumberger stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.58, for a total transaction of $167,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,525 shares in the company, valued at $789,969.50. This represents a 17.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company's stock.

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.