Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) Shares Sold by Chesley Taft & Associates LLC

Chesley Taft & Associates LLC trimmed its holdings in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) by 12.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 28,251 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,055 shares during the period. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC’s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $1,083,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC raised its holdings in Schlumberger by 4,197.8% in the 4th quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC now owns 205,005 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $7,860,000 after acquiring an additional 200,235 shares during the last quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Schlumberger by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC now owns 14,630 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $561,000 after purchasing an additional 850 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Schlumberger by 153.3% in the fourth quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 99,840 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,828,000 after purchasing an additional 60,421 shares during the last quarter. Legal Advantage Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Schlumberger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $791,000. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Schlumberger by 265.0% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 220,454 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $8,453,000 after buying an additional 160,049 shares during the last quarter. 81.99% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Schlumberger Price Performance

Schlumberger stock opened at $43.76 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $40.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.81. The firm has a market cap of $61.80 billion, a PE ratio of 14.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. Schlumberger Limited has a 52-week low of $36.52 and a 52-week high of $55.69.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last released its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 analyst estimates of $9,241,140 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.86 earnings per share. Schlumberger’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a dividend of $0.285 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This is an increase from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. Schlumberger’s payout ratio is currently 36.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Ugo Prechner sold 7,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.20, for a total transaction of $309,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 11,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $496,808. The trade was a 38.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mogharbel Khaled Al sold 123,097 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.09, for a total value of $5,427,346.73. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 184,626 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,140,160.34. This represents a 40.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 258,258 shares of company stock worth $11,246,604. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on SLB. Atb Cap Markets lowered Schlumberger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $61.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Schlumberger from $60.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Six investment 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.81.

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.