247,140 Shares in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) Bought by Cooke & Bieler LP

Cooke & Bieler LP bought a new position in Weatherford International plc (NASDAQ:WFRD) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 247,140 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,703,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WFRD. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Weatherford International by 130.8% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 360 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Weatherford International by 364.9% in the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 358 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Weatherford International in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Millburn Ridgefield Corp acquired a new stake in Weatherford International in the 3rd quarter valued at $42,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Weatherford International by 643.0% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 1,106 shares in the last quarter. 97.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Weatherford International from $87.00 to $82.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Citigroup lowered their price target 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 lowered their target price on Weatherford International from $100.00 to $92.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Raymond James lowered their target price on Weatherford International from $107.00 to $97.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Benchmark lowered their target price on Weatherford International from $140.00 to $125.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $107.63.

Weatherford International Stock Down 7.4 %

NASDAQ:WFRD opened at $51.95 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.61. Weatherford International plc has a one year low of $51.47 and a one year high of $135.00. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.21 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a current ratio of 2.01.

Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by ($0.30). Weatherford International had a return on equity of 40.65% and a net margin of 9.18%. Sell-side analysts predict that Weatherford International plc will post 5.89 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Weatherford International Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 21st will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.92%. Weatherford International’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Weatherford International news, EVP Scott C. Weatherholt sold 44,505 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.17, for a total value of $2,944,895.85. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 125,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,272,507.23. This trade represents a 26.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Desmond J. Mills sold 19,425 shares of Weatherford International stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.51, for a total value of $1,311,381.75. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 17,899 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,208,361.49. This trade represents a 52.04 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 92,692 shares of company stock valued at $6,207,725 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.60% 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.