Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) Shares Sold by North Star Asset Management Inc.

North Star Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) by 53.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,135 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,770 shares during the period. North Star Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased its position in shares of Schlumberger by 79.7% in the 3rd quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 4,919,990 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $286,835,000 after purchasing an additional 2,182,706 shares during the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Schlumberger by 34.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 8,056,492 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $469,693,000 after buying an additional 2,085,506 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Schlumberger by 30.5% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 8,370,835 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $488,020,000 after acquiring an additional 1,954,620 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in Schlumberger by 156.3% in the third quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 2,974,987 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $173,442,000 after purchasing an additional 1,814,440 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its holdings in shares of Schlumberger by 48.2% during the third quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 5,555,662 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $323,895,000 after purchasing an additional 1,807,061 shares during the last quarter. 81.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on SLB shares. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Schlumberger from $66.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $68.00 target price on shares of Schlumberger in a report on Monday. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $71.00 price target on shares of Schlumberger in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and issued a $77.00 target price on shares of Schlumberger in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on Schlumberger from $74.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Schlumberger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.67.

Insider Transactions at Schlumberger

In related news, CFO Stephane Biguet sold 6,250 shares of Schlumberger stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.64, for a total transaction of $304,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 242,932 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,816,212.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.52, for a total transaction of $2,426,000.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 261,507 shares in the company, valued at $12,688,319.64. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Stephane Biguet sold 6,250 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.64, for a total value of $304,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 242,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,816,212.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 133,621 shares of company stock valued at $6,691,623 over the last three months. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Schlumberger Price Performance

Schlumberger stock opened at $49.52 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $51.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $52.32. Schlumberger Limited has a 52 week low of $42.73 and a 52 week high of $62.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.68 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.60.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The oil and gas company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.75. Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.72% and a return on equity of 21.88%. The business had revenue of $8.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.63 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.275 per share. This is an increase from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, June 5th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.54%.

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.