Weatherford International PLC (NASDAQ:WFRD) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Weatherford International PLC has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from eleven research firms, with an average price target of $99.70.
• The company's stock recently experienced a 4.5% increase, and it reported earnings of $1.87 per share**, significantly exceeding analyst expectations.
• Weatherford International announced a quarterly dividend of $0.25, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.6% and a dividend payout ratio of 15.48%.

Shares of Weatherford International PLC (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eleven analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $99.70.

WFRD has been the subject of several recent research reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on Weatherford International from $77.00 to $73.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Zacks Research upgraded Weatherford International from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. Melius Research initiated coverage on Weatherford International in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $108.00 target price on the stock. Melius started coverage on Weatherford International in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $108.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and set a $70.00 price target (up from $69.00) on shares of Weatherford International in a report on Thursday, July 24th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Weatherford International

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 10.6% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 10,118 shares of the company's stock worth $511,000 after purchasing an additional 973 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 17,985 shares of the company's stock worth $905,000 after purchasing an additional 905 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC bought a new position in shares of Weatherford International in the 2nd quarter worth $796,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of Weatherford International during the 2nd quarter valued at $81,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Weatherford International by 27.7% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 34,467 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,734,000 after purchasing an additional 7,473 shares during the last quarter. 97.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Weatherford International Trading Down 2.7%

Shares of Weatherford International stock traded down $1.77 on Wednesday, hitting $63.73. The stock had a trading volume of 1,988,741 shares, compared to its average volume of 792,326. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $58.96 and a 200 day moving average of $52.25. Weatherford International has a twelve month low of $36.74 and a twelve month high of $98.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.63 and a current ratio of 2.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.87, a PEG ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.78.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 22nd. The company reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.90. Weatherford International had a return on equity of 34.87% and a net margin of 9.35%.The company had revenue of $1.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.66 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 14.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Weatherford International will post 5.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 6th were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 6th. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 15.48%.

Weatherford International Company 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.