Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund cut its position in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB - Free Report) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 3,110,410 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 599,550 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned approximately 0.22% of Schlumberger worth $161,866,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of SLB. Royal Bank of Canada boosted its position in Schlumberger by 79.7% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,919,990 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $286,835,000 after purchasing an additional 2,182,706 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC grew its position in Schlumberger by 34.9% during the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 8,056,492 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $469,693,000 after buying an additional 2,085,506 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in Schlumberger by 30.5% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,370,835 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $488,020,000 after buying an additional 1,954,620 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in shares of Schlumberger by 156.3% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 2,974,987 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $173,442,000 after acquiring an additional 1,814,440 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its position in shares of Schlumberger by 48.2% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 5,555,662 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $323,895,000 after acquiring an additional 1,807,061 shares during the period. 81.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Schlumberger

In other Schlumberger news, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.52, for a total value of $2,426,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 261,507 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,688,319.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Mogharbel Khaled Al sold 38,570 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $50.42, for a total value of $1,944,699.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 386,841 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,504,523.22. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 50,000 shares of Schlumberger stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.52, for a total value of $2,426,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 261,507 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,688,319.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 172,191 shares of company stock valued at $8,636,322. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Schlumberger Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of SLB stock traded down $0.33 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $49.52. The company had a trading volume of 10,878,790 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,278,627. Schlumberger Limited has a fifty-two week low of $42.73 and a fifty-two week high of $62.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.37 and a quick ratio of 1.02. The company's fifty day moving average is $51.64 and its 200 day moving average is $52.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.68 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.60.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 19th. The oil and gas company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.75. Schlumberger had a return on equity of 21.88% and a net margin of 12.72%. The business had revenue of $8.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $8.70 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.63 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 5th will be paid a $0.275 dividend. This is a positive change from Schlumberger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 5th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Schlumberger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $64.00 target price on shares of Schlumberger in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Schlumberger from $66.00 to $64.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Schlumberger from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, January 22nd. TD Cowen reduced their target price on Schlumberger from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $68.00 price target on shares of Schlumberger in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $69.67.

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.

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