Trexquant Investment LP Buys New Shares in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,105,588 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $42,388,000. Schlumberger comprises 0.5% of Trexquant Investment LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest position. Trexquant Investment LP owned about 0.08% of Schlumberger at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SLB. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its position in Schlumberger by 25.9% in the third 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 purchasing an additional 156,698 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB boosted its stake 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 in the last quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Schlumberger by 502.6% in the 4th quarter. Bryn Mawr Capital Management LLC now owns 198,024 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,592,000 after purchasing an additional 165,162 shares in the last quarter. Narwhal Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Schlumberger by 225.5% in the fourth quarter. Narwhal Capital Management now owns 74,645 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,862,000 after acquiring an additional 51,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank grew its position in Schlumberger by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 306,183 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $11,739,000 after purchasing an additional 16,914 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.99% of the company’s stock.

Schlumberger Price Performance

Shares of Schlumberger stock opened at $41.83 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market cap of $56.89 billion, a PE ratio of 13.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.10 and a beta of 1.47. Schlumberger Limited has a 52 week low of $36.52 and a 52 week high of $55.65. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $41.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.48.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last released its 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. Schlumberger had a return on equity of 21.90% and a net margin of 12.29%. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.86 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be given a dividend of $0.285 per share. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. This is an increase from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.66%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vijay Kasibhatla sold 25,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.94, for a total value of $1,098,500.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 49,595 shares in the company, valued at $2,179,204.30. The trade was a 33.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Dianne B. Ralston sold 43,161 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.96, for a total transaction of $1,897,357.56. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 235,024 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,331,655.04. This represents a 15.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 290,772 shares of company stock worth $12,546,660. Corporate insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on SLB. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Schlumberger from $48.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and issued a $44.00 price objective (down from $62.00) on shares of Schlumberger in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Six 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $55.69.

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.