Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) Shares Sold by AQR Capital Management LLC

AQR Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) by 40.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 106,099 shares of the company's stock after selling 71,831 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.15% of Weatherford International worth $7,584,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WFRD. Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Weatherford International by 59.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 31,349 shares of the company's stock worth $2,663,000 after buying an additional 11,680 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Weatherford International by 39.3% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 7,173 shares of the company's stock worth $609,000 after purchasing an additional 2,022 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Weatherford International by 63.3% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 461,790 shares of the company's stock worth $43,007,000 after purchasing an additional 179,064 shares during the period. Everence Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Weatherford International in the fourth quarter worth $293,000. Finally, FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Weatherford International in the fourth quarter worth $157,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.23% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Neal P. Goldman acquired 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 24th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $42.04 per share, for a total transaction of $504,480.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 25,311 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,064,074.44. The trade was a 90.15% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 2.09% of the company's stock.

Weatherford International Stock Performance

Shares of WFRD traded up $0.56 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $49.44. 176,955 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,152,501. Weatherford International plc has a 1-year low of $36.74 and a 1-year high of $135.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of 7.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.01. The business's 50 day moving average price is $47.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $64.52.

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

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 6th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 6th. Weatherford International's payout ratio is currently 16.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on WFRD shares. Benchmark decreased their price objective 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. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $85.00 to $77.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Weatherford International from $80.00 to $62.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Raymond James lowered shares of Weatherford International from a "strong-buy" rating to an "outperform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $73.00 to $69.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $99.75.

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.