Howland Capital Management LLC Increases Position in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

Howland Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) by 22.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,225 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,390 shares during the quarter. Howland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $511,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 156,698 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in Schlumberger by 27.0% during the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 76,838 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,223,000 after acquiring an additional 16,350 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $34,305,000 after purchasing an additional 65,318 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 14,376 shares during the period. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Schlumberger by 26.0% during the third quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 307,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,880,000 after purchasing an additional 63,413 shares in the last quarter. 81.99% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Schlumberger

In other Schlumberger news, VP Ugo Prechner sold 7,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 11,240 shares in the company, valued at $496,808. This represents a 38.38 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Bejar Carmen Rando sold 5,524 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.41, for a total transaction of $223,224.84. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 30,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,245,799.89. This trade represents a 15.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 263,782 shares of company stock worth $11,442,229 in the last three months. 0.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SLB shares. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $58.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 14th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Schlumberger from $60.00 to $56.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Barclays decreased their price objective on Schlumberger from $61.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $57.00 target price on shares of Schlumberger in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.81.

Schlumberger Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of SLB stock opened at $40.15 on Monday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $40.17 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.23. The firm has a market cap of $56.25 billion, a PE ratio of 12.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.49 and a beta of 1.51. Schlumberger Limited has a 1-year low of $36.52 and a 1-year high of $55.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last posted its earnings results on Friday, January 17th. The oil and gas company reported $0.92 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.90 by $0.02. Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 21.90%. The firm had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 EPS for the current year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.285 per share. This is a positive change from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.84%. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.66%.

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.