Goelzer Investment Management Inc. Sells 4,167 Shares of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB)

Goelzer Investment Management Inc. decreased its holdings in Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 79,151 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,167 shares during the quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Schlumberger were worth $3,035,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Schlumberger by 393.5% in the third quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 607 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 484 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Schlumberger in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Schlumberger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. raised its holdings in Schlumberger by 1,068.3% during the 3rd quarter. DiNuzzo Private Wealth Inc. now owns 958 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 876 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J. Stern & Co. LLP acquired a new position in shares of Schlumberger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. 81.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Schlumberger Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of Schlumberger stock opened at $42.30 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $59.73 billion, a PE ratio of 13.60, a P/E/G ratio of 9.98 and a beta of 1.52. 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. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $40.76 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.78.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.02. Schlumberger had a net margin of 12.29% and a return on equity of 21.90%. The business had revenue of $9.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9,241,140 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.86 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Schlumberger Limited will post 3.34 EPS for the current year.

Schlumberger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.285 per share. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.70%. This is a positive change from Schlumberger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.28. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 5th. Schlumberger’s dividend payout ratio is 35.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Vijay Kasibhatla sold 25,000 shares of Schlumberger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.94, for a total value of $1,098,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 49,595 shares in the company, valued at $2,179,204.30. This trade represents a 33.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Ugo Prechner sold 7,000 shares of the company’s 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 owns 11,240 shares in the company, valued at $496,808. The trade was a 38.38 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 198,258 shares of company stock valued at $8,732,604 over the last ninety days. 0.26% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup upped their target price on Schlumberger from $50.00 to $54.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and issued a $44.00 price target (down previously from $62.00) on shares of Schlumberger in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Schlumberger from $60.00 to $59.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 23rd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Schlumberger from $53.00 to $48.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of Schlumberger to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.81.

About Schlumberger

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.