Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) Position Lessened by Central Bank & Trust Co.

Central Bank & Trust Co. decreased its position in shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) by 6.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,934 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 485 shares during the period. Central Bank & Trust Co.’s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $266,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SLB. 1832 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of Schlumberger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $91,364,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in Schlumberger by 20.6% during the third 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. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in Schlumberger by 14.0% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 12,686,384 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $598,544,000 after acquiring an additional 1,560,684 shares during the last quarter. Merewether Investment Management LP bought a new stake in Schlumberger in the second quarter worth approximately $42,957,000. Finally, Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Schlumberger during the 3rd quarter worth $37,322,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.99% of the company’s stock.

Schlumberger Price Performance

Shares of SLB stock opened at $43.58 on Tuesday. Schlumberger Limited has a 12 month low of $36.52 and a 12 month high of $55.69. The company has a market capitalization of $61.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.52. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $40.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last issued its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.92 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9,241,140 billion. Schlumberger had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 12.29%. Schlumberger’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.86 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.29 EPS for the current year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be paid a $0.285 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.62%. This is a boost from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Schlumberger’s payout ratio is presently 35.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on SLB shares. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of Schlumberger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Griffin Securities cut Schlumberger from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Schlumberger from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, December 17th. Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and issued a $44.00 target price (down from $62.00) on shares of Schlumberger in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Atb Cap Markets cut Schlumberger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Schlumberger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $56.03.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.90, for a total value of $2,514,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 211,937 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,880,160.30. This represents a 22.06 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Schlumberger 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.