Nomura Holdings Inc. Purchases Shares of 9,647 Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD)

Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 9,647 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $691,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WFRD. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 130.8% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank grew its stake in Weatherford International by 190.4% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 392 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. purchased a new position in Weatherford International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Weatherford International during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Weatherford International by 30.1% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 926 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.23% of the company's stock.

Weatherford International Stock Down 1.4%

WFRD traded down $0.63 during trading on Friday, reaching $45.50. 748,300 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,162,754. Weatherford International plc has a fifty-two week low of $36.74 and a fifty-two week high of $135.00. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $46.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $62.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 2.01 and a quick ratio of 1.49. The stock has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.73.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.89 by $0.14. Weatherford International had a return on equity of 40.65% and a net margin of 9.18%. The business had revenue of $1.19 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.21 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect 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 will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 6th. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on WFRD. Barclays lowered their target price 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. Benchmark dropped their price target on Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Weatherford International from $80.00 to $62.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Weatherford International from $90.00 to $70.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Raymond James cut Weatherford International from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $73.00 to $69.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $96.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Weatherford International

In related news, Director Neal P. Goldman bought 12,000 shares of Weatherford International stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 24th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $42.04 per share, with a total value of $504,480.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 2.09% of the company's stock.

Weatherford International 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.