Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC Increases Stock Position in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB - Free Report) by 7.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 103,434 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,110 shares during the period. Schlumberger makes up about 1.8% of Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Murphy Pohlad Asset Management LLC's holdings in Schlumberger were worth $4,324,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in shares of Schlumberger by 7.4% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Schlumberger by 4.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 29,985,360 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,146,195,000 after acquiring an additional 1,377,134 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its holdings in Schlumberger by 12.2% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 28,737,703 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,101,804,000 after acquiring an additional 3,119,543 shares during the last quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Schlumberger by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 27,836,555 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,067,254,000 after acquiring an additional 343,261 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new position in Schlumberger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $735,398,000. 81.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on SLB. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on Schlumberger from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Schlumberger from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Schlumberger from $58.00 to $54.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $52.38.

Insider Activity at Schlumberger

In other news, insider Aparna Raman sold 25,133 shares of Schlumberger stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.28, for a total transaction of $1,062,623.24. Following the sale, the insider now owns 31,031 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,311,990.68. The trade was a 44.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director La Chevardiere Patrick De sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.58, for a total value of $167,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 23,525 shares in the company, valued at $789,969.50. This trade represents a 17.53% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Schlumberger Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE SLB traded up $0.35 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $36.26. The company had a trading volume of 4,064,323 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,518,161. The company has a market capitalization of $49.31 billion, a PE ratio of 11.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Schlumberger Limited has a 1-year low of $31.11 and a 1-year high of $50.94. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $34.43 and its 200 day simple moving average is $38.25.

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

Schlumberger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be issued a $0.285 dividend. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.14%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. Schlumberger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.64%.

Schlumberger 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.