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

North Star Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) by 53.6% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,135 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,770 shares during the quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in SLB. BluePath Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Schlumberger during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Schlumberger by 1,355.9% during the third quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 495 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 461 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Schlumberger in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in 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 worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. raised its holdings in Schlumberger by 64.3% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Bancorp Inc. now owns 746 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 292 shares during the period. 81.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Schlumberger Stock Down 0.7 %

SLB stock opened at $49.52 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The firm has a market cap of $70.68 billion, a PE ratio of 16.45, a PEG ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.60. Schlumberger Limited has a 1 year low of $42.73 and a 1 year high of $62.12. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $51.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $52.32.

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

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 5th will be paid a $0.275 dividend. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. This is a boost from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.25. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 5th. Schlumberger’s payout ratio is presently 36.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on SLB. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of Schlumberger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Schlumberger in a research report on Monday, April 1st. HSBC restated a “buy” rating and issued a $71.00 target price on shares of Schlumberger in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $77.00 price target on shares of Schlumberger in a report on Monday. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $68.00 price objective on shares of Schlumberger in a research note on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eighteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 50,000 shares of Schlumberger stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $48.52, for a total value of $2,426,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 261,507 shares in the company, valued at $12,688,319.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Abdellah Merad sold 50,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.52, for a total value 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Gavin Rennick sold 20,045 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $48.77, for a total transaction of $977,594.65. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 77,563 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,782,747.51. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 133,621 shares of company stock valued at $6,691,623. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

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.