Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Raises Position in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) by 225.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,033,530 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 716,435 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $39,626,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. YANKCOM Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Schlumberger during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Schlumberger in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Hager Investment Management Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Schlumberger in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC grew its position in shares of Schlumberger by 468.9% during the fourth quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,024 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 844 shares in the last quarter. 81.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Aparna Raman sold 25,133 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.28, for a total transaction of $1,062,623.24. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 31,031 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,311,990.68. This represents a 44.75 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Gavin Rennick sold 26,990 shares of Schlumberger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.92, for a total value of $1,104,430.80. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 53,584 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,192,657.28. The trade was a 33.50 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Schlumberger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SLB opened at $34.51 on Friday. 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 Limited has a 12 month low of $31.11 and a 12 month high of $50.94. The company has a market capitalization of $46.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.10, a PEG ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.06. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $37.18 and its 200 day moving average is $39.74.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.73 by ($0.01). Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 21.90%. The business had revenue of $8.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $8.64 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.75 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Schlumberger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.285 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.64%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Schlumberger from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Schlumberger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $46.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $60.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Schlumberger from $58.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Schlumberger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $53.32.

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.