Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) Trading 1.9% Higher – Still a Buy?

Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) shot up 1.9% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $41.12 and last traded at $40.93. 3,128,078 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 79% from the average session volume of 14,563,262 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.16.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $64.00 to $61.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Atb Cap Markets lowered shares of Schlumberger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Schlumberger from $60.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Schlumberger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Schlumberger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $55.81.

Schlumberger Stock Up 2.5 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $42.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.23, a P/E/G ratio of 9.55 and a beta of 1.51.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. Schlumberger had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 12.29%. The firm had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.86 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.285 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.77%. This is a positive change from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 35.37%.

Insider Activity at Schlumberger

In related news, insider Dianne B. Ralston sold 43,161 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.96, for a total value of $1,897,357.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 235,024 shares in the company, valued at $10,331,655.04. This trade represents a 15.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Ugo Prechner sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.20, for a total value of $309,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 11,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $496,808. This represents a 38.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 263,782 shares of company stock worth $11,442,229. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Schlumberger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Schlumberger by 6.2% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 289,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,135,000 after acquiring an additional 16,919 shares in the last quarter. Quent Capital LLC lifted its position in Schlumberger by 31.3% during the third quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 1,509 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Schlumberger by 7.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 15,870 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $666,000 after acquiring an additional 1,042 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co lifted its position in Schlumberger by 12.4% in the third quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 18,013 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $756,000 after buying an additional 1,994 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Miracle Mile Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Schlumberger by 26.1% during the 3rd quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 113,976 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,781,000 after purchasing an additional 23,567 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 81.99% of the company’s stock.

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.