Brown Advisory Inc. Increases Holdings in Weatherford International PLC (NASDAQ:WFRD)

Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its position in Weatherford International PLC (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) by 32.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 130,078 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 31,600 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. owned about 0.18% of Weatherford International worth $6,966,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Weatherford International by 295.9% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,945,755 shares of the company's stock valued at $425,894,000 after purchasing an additional 4,443,823 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. acquired a new stake in Weatherford International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $104,287,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Weatherford International in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $65,678,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Weatherford International by 181.7% in the fourth quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,303,007 shares of the company's stock valued at $93,334,000 after purchasing an additional 840,456 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Weatherford International by 67.1% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,201,544 shares of the company's stock valued at $64,343,000 after purchasing an additional 482,352 shares during the period. 97.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Weatherford International news, Director Neal P. Goldman bought 12,000 shares of Weatherford International stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 24th. The shares were bought at an average price of $42.04 per share, for a total transaction of $504,480.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 25,311 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,064,074.44. This trade represents a 90.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 2.09% of the company's stock.

Weatherford International Stock Performance

Shares of Weatherford International stock opened at $58.15 on Friday. Weatherford International PLC has a one year low of $36.74 and a one year high of $135.00. The company has a market cap of $4.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.30, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 1.52 and a current ratio of 2.08. The business's 50 day moving average price is $49.29 and its 200 day moving average price is $55.48.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The company reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.14. Weatherford International had a return on equity of 35.88% and a net margin of 8.79%. The firm had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. On average, research analysts predict that Weatherford International PLC will post 5.89 EPS for the current year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.72%. Weatherford International's payout ratio is 16.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the company. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Weatherford International from $80.00 to $62.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Barclays lowered their price target on Weatherford International from $85.00 to $77.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Weatherford International from $90.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered Weatherford International from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $73.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $96.63.

About Weatherford International

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.

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