Ashburton Jersey Ltd Has $14.60 Million Stock Holdings in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

Ashburton Jersey Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 280,623 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 12,312 shares during the quarter. Schlumberger comprises approximately 6.7% of Ashburton Jersey Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Ashburton Jersey Ltd’s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $14,604,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SLB. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Schlumberger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of 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 period. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its stake in Schlumberger by 64.3% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 746 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Bridge LLC lifted its position in Schlumberger by 39.4% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Bridge LLC now owns 853 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 241 shares during the period. 81.99% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. HSBC reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $71.00 price objective on shares of Schlumberger in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $65.00 price target on shares of Schlumberger in a research report on Monday, April 22nd. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $64.00 to $63.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Schlumberger in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $64.00 price target on shares of Schlumberger in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seventeen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.72.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 50,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 261,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,688,319.64. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Schlumberger news, CFO Stephane Biguet sold 6,250 shares of Schlumberger 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 242,932 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $11,816,212.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 50,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 261,507 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,688,319.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Schlumberger Price Performance

Schlumberger stock traded up $0.35 during trading on Thursday, reaching $47.51. The company had a trading volume of 3,413,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,103,659. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.37. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $51.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $51.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.91 billion, a PE ratio of 15.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.64. Schlumberger Limited has a 1-year low of $42.73 and a 1-year high of $62.12.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last released its earnings results on Friday, April 19th. The oil and gas company reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.75. The business had revenue of $8.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $8.70 billion. Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.72% and a return on equity of 21.88%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.63 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 5th. This is an increase from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.