Core Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:CLB) Shares Bought by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Core Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:CLB) by 2.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 233,829 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,733 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned 0.50% of Core Laboratories worth $3,505,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its holdings in Core Laboratories by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 26,723 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $463,000 after buying an additional 960 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of Core Laboratories by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 55,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $961,000 after purchasing an additional 1,728 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its position in shares of Core Laboratories by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 138,610 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,078,000 after purchasing an additional 2,376 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of Core Laboratories by 8.8% during the 4th quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 29,594 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 2,388 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WINTON GROUP Ltd raised its position in shares of Core Laboratories by 5.7% during the 4th quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 49,623 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $859,000 after acquiring an additional 2,683 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.81% of the company’s stock.

Core Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CLB opened at $11.68 on Friday. Core Laboratories Inc. has a 1-year low of $10.14 and a 1-year high of $25.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $547.37 million, a PE ratio of 19.79, a PEG ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 1.41. The business’s 50 day moving average is $11.83 and its 200-day moving average is $14.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.21, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48.

Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $123.59 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $125.09 million. Core Laboratories had a net margin of 5.41% and a return on equity of 15.06%. Core Laboratories’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.19 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Core Laboratories Inc. will post 0.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Core Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 5th were issued a $0.01 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 5th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.34%. Core Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 6.78%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Core Laboratories from $16.00 to $13.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Wall Street Zen lowered Core Laboratories from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Core Laboratories from $13.00 to $12.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday.

About Core Laboratories

Core Laboratories Inc provides reservoir description and production enhancement services and products to the oil and gas industry in the United States, and internationally. It operates through Reservoir Description and Production Enhancement segments. The Reservoir Description segment includes the characterization of petroleum reservoir rock and reservoir fluid samples to enhance production and improve recovery of crude oil and gas from its clients' reservoirs.