<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Horizon Investments LLC acquired a new stake in  Weatherford International PLC (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission. The institutional investor  acquired 17,752 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,389,000.</p><ul><li>3 Oil &amp; Gas Gear Makers With Triple-Digit EPS Growth Forecasts</li></ul><p>Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in  Weatherford International in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000.  EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of  Weatherford International by 83.5% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 556 shares of the company's stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares during the period.  Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of  Weatherford International by 69.8% during the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 584 shares of the company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period.  Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of  Weatherford International in the third quarter worth $41,000.  Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in  Weatherford International by 157.3% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 705 shares of the company's stock valued at $55,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the period. 97.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. </p><h2>Insider Activity at Weatherford International</h2><p>In other news, CEO Girish Saligram sold 100,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $105.50, for a total transaction of $10,550,000.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.09% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. </p><h2>Weatherford International Stock Performance</h2><ul><li>Oilfield Services Growing Faster Than Wider Energy Sector</li></ul><p>WFRD stock opened at $108.37 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $7.79 billion, a PE ratio of 16.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.29 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a current ratio of 2.31, a quick ratio of 1.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $98.04 and a 200-day moving average price of $87.89. Weatherford International PLC has a 1-year low of $42.58 and a 1-year high of $112.31. </p><p>Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.47. The company had revenue of $1.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.14 billion. Weatherford International had a return on equity of 28.31% and a net margin of 9.49%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.03 EPS.  As a group, equities research analysts expect that  Weatherford International PLC will post 5.97 earnings per share for the current year. </p><h2>Weatherford International Dividend Announcement</h2><ul><li>2 Energy Mid-Caps Expected To Post Monster Earnings Growth</li></ul><p>The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 6th. Weatherford International's dividend payout ratio  is presently 17.21%. </p><h2>Analysts Set New Price Targets</h2><p>WFRD has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada began coverage on Weatherford International in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. They set an &#34;outperform&#34; rating and a $105.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research cut Weatherford International from a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Weatherford International from $115.00 to $134.00 and gave the stock a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Weatherford International from $83.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock a &#34;neutral&#34; rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Weatherford International from a &#34;hold (c+)&#34; rating to a &#34;hold (c)&#34; rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and four have assigned  a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock  has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and a consensus price target of $105.33.</p><p><b>Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on WFRD</b></p><h2>Weatherford International Profile</h2> (Free Report)<p>Weatherford International <span>NASDAQ: WFRD<span></span></span> is a global oilfield services company specializing in the development, design and manufacturing of equipment and technologies for oil and natural gas drilling, evaluation, completion and production. The company’s core offerings include well construction services such as directional drilling and wellbore positioning, well completion solutions that encompass sand control and zonal isolation technologies, and production enhancement services involving artificial lift systems and well intervention tools. </p><p>In addition to its comprehensive service lines, Weatherford provides a range of drilling optimization and reservoir evaluation products.</p><h2>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Weatherford International</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WFRD?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Weatherford International PLC (NASDAQ:WFRD - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9V0ZSRA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5BU0RBUSZTeW1ib2w9V0ZSRA"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Weatherford International Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Weatherford International, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Weatherford International wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Weatherford International currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

WFRD

<p>Horizon Investments LLC has invested $1.39 million in Weatherford International PLC, acquiring 17,752 shares in the fourth quarter. Other hedge funds have also adjusted their stakes in the company. Weatherford's CEO sold 100,000 shares recently, and the stock is currently trading at $108.37. The company reported a quarterly EPS of $1.49, exceeding estimates, and declared a dividend of $0.275 per share. Analysts have varied ratings and price targets for Weatherford, with several recommending a buy.</p>

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Horizon Investments LLC Invests $1.39 Million in Weatherford International PLC $WFRD