Marshall Wace LLP Has $45.56 Million Stake in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD)

Marshall Wace LLP trimmed its holdings in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) by 12.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 635,989 shares of the company's stock after selling 88,869 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned about 0.87% of Weatherford International worth $45,556,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Weatherford International by 130.8% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in Weatherford International by 190.4% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 392 shares of the company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. bought a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Weatherford International during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its position in shares of Weatherford International by 30.1% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 926 shares of the company's stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. 97.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Scott C. Weatherholt sold 44,505 shares of Weatherford International stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $2,944,895.85. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 125,019 shares in the company, valued at $8,272,507.23. This trade represents a 26.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Arunava Mitra sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total value of $675,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 21,072 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,423,835.04. This represents a 32.18 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 87,930 shares of company stock valued at $5,861,718. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Weatherford International Stock Down 5.3 %

WFRD stock traded down $2.40 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $42.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,083,545 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,092,635. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $53.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.01. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. Weatherford International plc has a 12 month low of $36.74 and a 12 month high of $135.00. The company has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a PE ratio of 6.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.70.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 22nd. The company reported $1.03 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.89 by $0.14. Weatherford International had a return on equity of 40.65% and a net margin of 9.18%. The company had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.21 billion. On average, equities research analysts expect that Weatherford International plc will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Weatherford International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. Weatherford International's payout ratio is 14.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WFRD shares. Benchmark reduced their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Raymond James cut their price objective on Weatherford International from $97.00 to $73.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Weatherford International from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on shares of Weatherford International from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $103.75.

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.