Weatherford International rises 7.8% after quarterly earnings beat

What happened

Weatherford International (WFRD) rose 7.8% on October 21, 2026, after the company reported third-quarter results that beat expectations because of stronger-than-forecast margins and cash flow. The company disclosed the results in an Oct. 20 press release and discussed them on an Oct. 21 earnings call, with coverage by GlobeNewsWire and Seeking Alpha. The stock closed at $85.49 on the session, taking the five-session gain to rose 13.3%.

How big was the move

The day’s rise was notable: the stock opened 4.8% above the previous close and closed up 7.8%, with trading volume 2.7 times its 20-day average. The move measured 3.0 times a typical daily move for this stock. The S&P 500 rose 0.6% on the day and the Energy sector median rose 0.2%, so the stock’s performance was 7.6 percentage points better than the sector median. With a beta of 1.41, the stock tends to move more than the market.

The technical picture

Technically, the stock sat 7.9% above its 20-day moving average but 0.4% below its 50-day moving average and 8.1% below its 200-day moving average. The 50-day average is below the 200-day average, a sign of a weak longer-term trend. The Relative Strength Index (14 days) was 60, in a neutral range between 30 and 70. The shares were 24.4% below the 52-week high. Over shorter horizons the stock rose 1.8% over one month, fell 0.1% over three months and rose 31.7% over one year, the latter outpacing the S&P 500 by 16.5 percentage points. Volatility was 40% annualized over 60 days, lower than 73% of its own readings over five years.

Fundamentals and valuation

On a trailing-four-quarters basis through September 30, 2026, Weatherford reported revenue of $4.69 billion, a decline of 5.7% from a year earlier. Diluted earnings per share were $5.61, up 1.6% from a year earlier. Gross margin widened to 61.4% from 48.5% a year earlier, while operating margin was 12.4% versus 15.2% a year earlier. Free-cash-flow margin was 12.3% and return on invested capital was 13.6%. The balance sheet showed net debt of 0.1 times EBITDA.

The stock traded at 15.2 times trailing earnings, lower than 69% of its own readings over the past five years, with a five-year median of 16.7 times earnings. Price to forward earnings was 17.3 times expected earnings and the free-cash-flow yield was 10.6%. Those valuation metrics present the shares as relatively high value within their historical range, while profitability measures point to improving cash generation despite the revenue decline.

Earnings and analyst expectations

The company’s Oct. 20 report showed quarterly revenue of $1.143 billion, adjusted EBITDA of $254 million, adjusted free cash flow of $155 million, and quarterly earnings of $1.66 per share versus $1.33 expected, a surprise 24.8% above estimates. Quarterly earnings also compared with $1.12 a year earlier. This was the company’s most recent consecutive quarter beating estimates: one. The average surprise over the last four reports was 15.2% above estimates, and the typical two-day reaction after recent reports was rose 2.7%.

Among 39 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating was Buy, with 64% of ratings at Buy or Strong Buy and a consensus price target of $136.00, which is 59.1% above the closing price. The next report was scheduled for February 2, 2027.

What to watch

• Feb. 2, 2027: next scheduled earnings report.
• The company’s Oct. 20 figures: revenue of $1.143 billion, adjusted EBITDA of $254 million, adjusted free cash flow of $155 million, and quarterly EPS of $1.66 versus $1.33 expected.
• Consensus price target of $136.00 and 39 analysts covering the stock.
• Past similar sessions: in the past five years the stock had 14 sessions with a gain of at least 7.8%; twenty trading days later the median result was a gain of 4.5%, and 9 of 14 were higher.
• Balance-sheet metric: net debt of 0.1 times EBITDA