Teacher Retirement System of Texas Sells 67,593 Shares of Weatherford International PLC $WFRD

Key Points

• Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its Weatherford stake by 49.3% in Q4, selling 67,593 shares and leaving it with 69,486 shares worth about $5.44 million.
• Weatherford beat Q1 estimates, reporting $1.49 EPS vs. $1.02 expected and $1.15B revenue, prompting analysts to raise targets (e.g., Piper Sandler $118, UBS $113) and an average price target of $103.22 with a "Moderate Buy" consensus.
• CEO Girish Saligram sold 100,000 shares at $105.50 for $10.55 million; insiders own 1.6% of the stock while institutional investors hold about 97.23%, with several hedge funds materially increasing positions.

Teacher Retirement System of Texas lessened its holdings in Weatherford International PLC (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) by 49.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,486 shares of the company's stock after selling 67,593 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas owned about 0.10% of Weatherford International worth $5,438,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WFRD. Holocene Advisors LP grew its position in Weatherford International by 712.8% in the second quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 1,646,034 shares of the company's stock valued at $82,812,000 after acquiring an additional 1,443,512 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its position in Weatherford International by 154.3% in the third quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,159,192 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,324,000 after acquiring an additional 703,401 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. grew its position in Weatherford International by 1,084.6% in the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 686,010 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,513,000 after acquiring an additional 628,100 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. grew its position in Weatherford International by 103.1% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,165,753 shares of the company's stock valued at $79,772,000 after acquiring an additional 591,694 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Weatherford International by 196.2% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 825,874 shares of the company's stock valued at $41,343,000 after acquiring an additional 547,044 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 97.23% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Weatherford International

Here are the key news stories impacting Weatherford International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat — Weatherford reported $1.49 EPS (up 45% y/y), ahead of estimates as Well Construction held up despite Middle East disruptions; the beat and improved margins are a clear near-term positive for the stock. WFRD Q1 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $118 and kept an overweight rating — the higher target signals increased analyst conviction and likely supported buying interest. Piper Sandler PT
• Positive Sentiment: UBS lifted its target to $113 and maintained a neutral rating — another upward revision that reinforces the bullish case from sell‑side analysts. UBS PT
• Positive Sentiment: Short-interest decline — Reported short interest fell ~16.7% to 4.14M shares (about 5.9% of shares sold short) with a ~3.7 days-to-cover, reducing immediate short-squeeze risk and removing a potential headwind for the stock.
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials available — The company posted its Q1 earnings presentation (useful for deeper review of segment trends and guidance). Q1 Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Conflicting/erroneous short-interest data — One report shows 0 shares / NaN change for April 24 (likely a data error); treat that feed as unreliable until corrected.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Girish Saligram sold 100,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $105.50, for a total value of $10,550,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WFRD has been the topic of several research reports. Zacks Research cut Weatherford International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays reduced their price target on Weatherford International from $114.00 to $111.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Weatherford International from $83.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Weiss Ratings cut Weatherford International from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Weatherford International from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.22.

Weatherford International Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WFRD opened at $108.54 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $7.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a current ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock's 50-day moving average is $97.42 and its 200-day moving average is $85.94. Weatherford International PLC has a 1-year low of $40.12 and a 1-year high of $110.57.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.47. Weatherford International had a return on equity of 28.31% and a net margin of 9.49%.The company had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.14 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.03 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Weatherford International PLC will post 5.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 6th will be issued a $0.275 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 6th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.21%.

Weatherford International Profile

Weatherford International NASDAQ: WFRD is a global oilfield services company specializing in the development, design and manufacturing of equipment and technologies for oil and natural gas drilling, evaluation, completion and production. The company’s core offerings include well construction services such as directional drilling and wellbore positioning, well completion solutions that encompass sand control and zonal isolation technologies, and production enhancement services involving artificial lift systems and well intervention tools.

In addition to its comprehensive service lines, Weatherford provides a range of drilling optimization and reservoir evaluation products.

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