Raymond James Has Lowered Expectations for Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) Stock Price

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) had its price objective decreased by Raymond James from $97.00 to $73.00 in a research report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Raymond James currently has a strong-buy rating on the stock.

WFRD has been the subject of several other reports. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Weatherford International from $110.00 to $95.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 20th. Barclays reduced their price target on Weatherford International from $92.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 31st. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Weatherford International from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Finally, Benchmark cut their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $103.75.

Weatherford International Trading Up 5.4 %

NASDAQ:WFRD traded up $2.40 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $46.68. 1,332,522 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,084,226. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26. The firm's 50 day moving average is $54.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $69.77. Weatherford International has a 52 week low of $36.74 and a 52 week high of $135.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.95, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.70.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.30). Weatherford International had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 40.65%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Weatherford International will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 21st. Weatherford International's payout ratio is currently 14.88%.

Insider Transactions at Weatherford International

In other Weatherford International news, CFO Arunava Mitra sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.57, for a total transaction of $675,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 21,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,423,835.04. The trade was a 32.18 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scott C. Weatherholt sold 44,505 shares of Weatherford International stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 represents a 26.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 87,930 shares of company stock valued at $5,861,718 in the last three months. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 17,072 shares of the company's stock worth $1,223,000 after buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 31,730 shares of the company's stock worth $2,273,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 130.8% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Weatherford International by 30.1% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 926 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC boosted its stake in Weatherford International by 1.4% during the first quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 16,080 shares of the company's stock worth $861,000 after buying an additional 228 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.23% of the company's stock.

About Weatherford International

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.