Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-five brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, sixteen have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $33.5714.

HAL has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on shares of Halliburton in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $35.00 price target for the company. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of Halliburton to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 3rd. Hsbc Global Res raised Halliburton from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Bank of America upped their price objective on Halliburton from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Halliburton in a report on Wednesday, January 7th.

More Halliburton News

Here are the key news stories impacting Halliburton this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO raised its price target on HAL to $36 (from $31), signaling modest analyst upside and supporting valuation. MarketScreener: BMO Capital Adjusts Halliburton Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Management and industry reports indicate a fast path back into Venezuela — if reforms allow free exports, oilfield-service firms like Halliburton stand to capture early upside from ramping production. This is a material operational catalyst if realized. Reuters: International oil companies push for quick reforms in Venezuela
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst previews (Zacks) suggest Halliburton’s cost cuts and margin gains could lift Q4 EPS even with revenue pressure — a potential near-term earnings beat that would support the stock. Zacks: Halliburton Q4 Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Halliburton promoted Casey Maxwell to president, Western Hemisphere — an operational leadership move that could help execution in the region (not an immediate earnings driver). BizJournals: Halliburton names next Western Hemisphere president
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and previews (Zacks/TipRanks) are circulating updated estimates and metric-level expectations for the quarter — useful for modeling but not yet consensus-moving. Zacks: Explore Wall Street Estimates for Halliburton Q4
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple former executives have filed or are reported to be pursuing large discrimination/dismissal claims (reports cite $250M–$375M), creating headline and legal risk. That litigation can pressure sentiment and add potential costs. Arise: Ex-Halliburton Executive Togun Sues Company For $250 Million
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling reported (representative Gilbert Cisneros Jr. unloaded HAL shares), which can be seen as a negative signal to some investors even if unrelated to company fundamentals. AmericanBankingNews: Halliburton Stock Unloaded Rep. Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Jr.

Halliburton Stock Down 0.6%

Halliburton stock opened at $32.58 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.58 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.95. Halliburton has a fifty-two week low of $18.72 and a fifty-two week high of $33.72. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.40 and a 200-day simple moving average of $24.88.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.39 billion. Halliburton had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 5.91%.The firm’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.73 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Halliburton will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Halliburton Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 3rd. Halliburton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 45.03%.

Insider Transactions at Halliburton

In other news, EVP Lawrence J. Pope sold 100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total transaction of $3,225,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 419,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,538,550. This represents a 19.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Richard sold 160,000 shares of Halliburton stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.77, for a total value of $4,443,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 452,374 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,562,425.98. This trade represents a 26.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 268,854 shares of company stock worth $7,915,138 over the last ninety days. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Halliburton

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Halliburton in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors acquired a new position in Halliburton during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. purchased a new position in Halliburton in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Halliburton during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Halliburton during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.23% of the company’s stock.

About Halliburton

Halliburton is one of the world’s largest providers of products and services to the energy industry, offering a broad portfolio that supports the lifecycle of oil and gas reservoirs from exploration and drilling through production and abandonment. Founded in 1919 by Erle P. Halliburton as an oil-well cementing company, the firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has developed into an integrated oilfield services company serving upstream operators globally.

The company’s activities encompass drilling and evaluation, well construction and completion, production enhancement and well intervention.