World Equity Group Inc. Invests $851,000 in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

World Equity Group Inc. bought a new stake in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 22,200 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $851,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SLB. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its holdings in Schlumberger by 25.9% during the 3rd quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 761,875 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $31,961,000 after acquiring an additional 156,698 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its holdings in Schlumberger by 27.0% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 76,838 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,223,000 after purchasing an additional 16,350 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Schlumberger by 8.7% during the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 817,771 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $34,305,000 after buying an additional 65,318 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Schlumberger by 269.1% in the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 19,718 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $827,000 after acquiring an additional 14,376 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Schlumberger by 502.6% in the fourth quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 198,024 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,592,000 after acquiring an additional 165,162 shares during the last quarter. 81.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Schlumberger Stock Performance

Shares of SLB stock opened at $41.73 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 $36.52 and a 12-month high of $55.69. The company has a market cap of $58.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.51. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $40.20 and a 200-day simple moving average of $41.90.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last announced its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.24 billion. Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 21.90%. The business’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. On average, equities 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 given a dividend of $0.285 per share. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. This is an increase from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Schlumberger from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and set a $44.00 price objective (down from $62.00) on shares of Schlumberger in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Schlumberger from $61.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Six equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Schlumberger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.81.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Mogharbel Khaled Al sold 123,097 shares of Schlumberger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.09, for a total transaction of $5,427,346.73. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,626 shares in the company, valued at $8,140,160.34. The trade was a 40.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Vijay Kasibhatla sold 25,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.94, for a total value of $1,098,500.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 49,595 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,179,204.30. This trade represents a 33.51 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 263,782 shares of company stock worth $11,442,229 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.26% 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.