Empower Advisory Group LLC Increases Stake in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

Empower Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) by 8.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,482 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 647 shares during the quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $325,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Schlumberger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. YANKCOM Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Schlumberger during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Schlumberger during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Schlumberger during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Schlumberger during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.99% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Vijay Kasibhatla sold 25,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.94, for a total transaction of $1,098,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 49,595 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,179,204.30. This trade represents a 33.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mogharbel Khaled Al sold 123,097 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.09, for a total transaction of $5,427,346.73. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 184,626 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,140,160.34. The trade was a 40.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 263,782 shares of company stock worth $11,442,229 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.26% of the company’s stock.

Schlumberger Trading Down 1.1 %

SLB opened at $42.19 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $59.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.56, a P/E/G ratio of 9.90 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $40.14 and its 200-day moving average is $41.92. Schlumberger Limited has a 52-week low of $36.52 and a 52-week high of $55.69. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49.

Schlumberger (NYSE:SLB) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $9.28 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.24 billion. Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 21.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.86 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.285 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 5th. This represents a $1.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. This is a positive change from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.66%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on SLB. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and set a $44.00 price target (down from $62.00) on shares of Schlumberger in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Schlumberger to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Schlumberger from $60.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Schlumberger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.81.

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.