Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-two brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $55.81.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on SLB shares. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $61.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Griffin Securities cut Schlumberger from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Schlumberger from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Schlumberger to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Schlumberger from $60.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 23rd.

Schlumberger Trading Down 0.8 %

SLB opened at $41.45 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $58.07 billion, a PE ratio of 13.33, a PEG ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 1.51. The business has a 50 day moving average of $40.09 and a 200-day moving average of $42.09. Schlumberger has a 52 week low of $36.52 and a 52 week high of $55.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last announced its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 21.90%. The business had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.86 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Schlumberger will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a dividend of $0.285 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This is a boost from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.75%. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.66%.

Insider Transactions at Schlumberger

In other news, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 60,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $41.44, for a total transaction of $2,486,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 210,502 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,723,202.88. The trade was a 22.18 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Bejar Carmen Rando sold 5,524 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.41, for a total transaction of $223,224.84. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 30,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,245,799.89. This trade represents a 15.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 263,782 shares of company stock valued at $11,442,229 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Schlumberger

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Schlumberger during the fourth quarter worth $735,398,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Schlumberger by 12,289.6% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 13,043,359 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $500,082,000 after acquiring an additional 12,938,082 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Schlumberger by 43,028.0% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 2,652,804 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $101,708,000 after acquiring an additional 2,646,653 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in Schlumberger by 20.6% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 11,213,944 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $470,425,000 after acquiring an additional 1,916,851 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in Schlumberger by 12.4% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 15,396,967 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $590,320,000 after purchasing an additional 1,700,203 shares during the period. 81.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Schlumberger Company 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.