Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB – Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $68.72.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on SLB shares. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $64.00 price target on shares of Schlumberger in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. Susquehanna restated a “positive” rating and issued a $77.00 price objective on shares of Schlumberger in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Barclays dropped their target price on Schlumberger from $74.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 4th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Schlumberger from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Schlumberger from $66.00 to $64.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 22nd.

In other Schlumberger news, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.52, for a total transaction of $2,426,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 261,507 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,688,319.64. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Schlumberger news, CFO Stephane Biguet sold 6,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.64, for a total transaction of $304,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 242,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,816,212.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.52, for a total transaction of $2,426,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 261,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,688,319.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SLB. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Schlumberger in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Register Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Schlumberger during the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Manchester Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Schlumberger by 297.9% during the first quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 569 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares during the last quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in Schlumberger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Janiczek Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Schlumberger by 1,180.4% in the 4th quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 653 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 602 shares during the last quarter. 81.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Schlumberger Price Performance

SLB opened at $48.75 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market cap of $69.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.20, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 1.64. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $51.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $51.32. Schlumberger has a 12-month low of $42.73 and a 12-month high of $62.12.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The oil and gas company reported $0.75 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.75. Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.72% and a return on equity of 21.88%. The firm had revenue of $8.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.63 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Schlumberger will post 3.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 5th will be paid a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.26%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 5th. This is a boost from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.54%.

Source: defenseworld.net