Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) Shares Purchased by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) by 22.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 470,925 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 87,098 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $18,055,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Schlumberger in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in Schlumberger in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Schlumberger in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Schlumberger in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Schlumberger in the 3rd quarter valued at $37,000. 81.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Mogharbel Khaled Al sold 123,097 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.09, for a total transaction of $5,427,346.73. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 184,626 shares in the company, valued at $8,140,160.34. This trade represents a 40.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Vijay Kasibhatla sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.94, for a total transaction of $1,098,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 49,595 shares in the company, valued at $2,179,204.30. This represents a 33.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 263,782 shares of company stock valued at $11,442,229. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Schlumberger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SLB opened at $41.75 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $40.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.09. Schlumberger Limited has a 52-week low of $36.52 and a 52-week high of $55.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.42, a P/E/G ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 1.51.

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

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.285 per share. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This is a boost from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Schlumberger’s payout ratio is 36.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SLB has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded Schlumberger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Schlumberger in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $47.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and set a $44.00 target price (down from $62.00) on shares of Schlumberger in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.81.

About Schlumberger

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.