Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Purchases Shares of 8,310 Weatherford International PLC (NASDAQ:WFRD)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Weatherford International PLC (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 8,310 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $445,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WFRD. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in Weatherford International by 295.9% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 5,945,755 shares of the company's stock valued at $425,894,000 after acquiring an additional 4,443,823 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Weatherford International in the fourth quarter worth about $104,287,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Weatherford International in the fourth quarter worth about $65,678,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of 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 worth $93,334,000 after purchasing an additional 840,456 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 132.1% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 728,266 shares of the company's stock worth $52,166,000 after purchasing an additional 414,528 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.23% of the company's stock.

Weatherford International Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of WFRD stock traded down $1.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $54.18. 715,937 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,181,262. The stock has a market cap of $3.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 0.76. The stock's fifty day moving average is $47.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.80. Weatherford International PLC has a 52-week low of $36.74 and a 52-week high of $135.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 2.08 and a quick ratio of 1.52.

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

Weatherford International Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.85%. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Neal P. Goldman bought 12,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 24th. The shares were bought at an average price of $42.04 per share, with a total value of $504,480.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 25,311 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,064,074.44. This trade represents a 90.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.09% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Weatherford International Company Profile

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.