Weatherford International (NASDAQ:WFRD) Shares Up 6% After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Weatherford International PLC (NASDAQ:WFRD) rose 6% on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The stock traded as high as $84.80 and last traded at $84.0820. 232,388 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 1,222,005 shares. The stock had previously closed at $79.34.

The company reported $1.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.13 billion. Weatherford International had a net margin of 7.66% and a return on equity of 21.50%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.12 earnings per share.

Weatherford International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.2750 per share. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. Weatherford International’s payout ratio is presently 21.70%.

Weatherford International News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Weatherford International this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Weatherford reported third-quarter adjusted EPS of $1.66, exceeding the roughly $1.21–$1.33 analyst estimates and rising from $1.12 a year earlier. Revenue of $1.14 billion also edged past expectations of $1.13 billion. Weatherford Announces Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The earnings beat was accompanied by solid profitability, including a 7.66% net margin and 21.50% return on equity. Commentary highlighting real cash flow may further reassure investors about the quality of the reported earnings. Weatherford Q3 2026 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Weatherford declared a quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share, or $1.10 annualized, representing an approximately 1.4% yield. The dividend is payable December 3 to shareholders of record November 6.
• Positive Sentiment: Despite reducing their targets, Citigroup and Piper Sandler maintained constructive views: Citi kept a Buy rating with a $112 target, while Piper retained an Overweight rating with a $110 target. Both targets remain well above the quoted share price. Piper Sandler Weatherford Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Improving oilfield activity and hiring in Venezuela could create longer-term regional opportunities for oilfield-services providers such as Weatherford, though the potential impact remains uncertain. Venezuela Oilfield Investment
• Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter revenue declined 7.2% year over year, signaling softer underlying activity despite the strong EPS performance.
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup lowered its price target from $115 to $112, and Piper Sandler reduced its target from $118 to $110. The cuts suggest analysts see less near-term upside than previously expected. Citigroup Lowers Weatherford Price Target

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial dropped their price target on shares of Weatherford International from $125.00 to $122.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Weatherford International from $118.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Weatherford International from $115.00 to $112.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Weatherford International in a report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Weatherford International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $115.29.

Insider Activity at Weatherford International

In related news, Director Benjamin Duster, IV sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.09, for a total value of $516,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,187 shares in the company, valued at $963,088.83. This represents a 34.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacqueline C. Mutschler sold 4,094 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $90.50, for a total transaction of $370,507.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 29,093 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,632,916.50. The trade was a 12.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 26,094 shares of company stock worth $2,244,487 over the last ninety days. 2.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Weatherford International

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WFRD. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Weatherford International by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 14,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,084,000 after purchasing an additional 231 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Weatherford International by 9.8% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,405 shares of the company’s stock worth $189,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 19.3% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 89,847 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,323,000 after purchasing an additional 14,537 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC bought a new stake in shares of Weatherford International in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $172,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its holdings in shares of Weatherford International by 72.0% in the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 313 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. 97.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Weatherford International Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $6.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.05. The business’s fifty day moving average is $86.00 and its 200 day moving average is $92.38. The company has a current ratio of 2.34, a quick ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81.

About Weatherford International

Weatherford International plc is an energy services company that provides equipment, technology and services to the oil and natural gas industry. Its offerings support the life cycle of a well, from drilling and formation evaluation to completion, production, intervention and abandonment.

The company’s product and service portfolio includes drilling systems, well logging and evaluation tools, completion equipment, artificial-lift systems, production optimization technologies, well intervention services and digital solutions.