Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) Hits New 12-Month High Following Earnings Beat

Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. The company traded as high as $33.80 and last traded at $33.0870, with a volume of 5841343 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.06.

The oilfield services company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.54 by $0.15. Halliburton had a return on equity of 20.12% and a net margin of 5.91%.The business had revenue of $5.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis.

Halliburton Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Halliburton’s dividend payout ratio is 45.03%.

More Halliburton News

Here are the key news stories impacting Halliburton this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly beat — Halliburton reported adjusted EPS of $0.69 vs. the $0.54 consensus and revenue of ~$5.66–$5.7B that topped estimates, which is the primary catalyst for the stock rally. Business Wire Release
• Positive Sentiment: International strength and margin resilience — Management and press coverage pointed to robust demand in international markets (Mexico/Latin America) and improved margins that helped offset regional weakness, supporting near-term earnings outlook. Reuters: Halliburton beats estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Capital return focus — Analysts and commentary highlighted aggressive buybacks and a >2% dividend yield; management emphasized share repurchases and returning free cash flow to shareholders, which supports valuation and investor sentiment. MarketBeat: Total Return Gusher
• Neutral Sentiment: Potential Venezuela opportunity — Company job postings and analyst previews flag a possible re-entry into Venezuela as a future growth catalyst; this is early-stage and speculative but watched by investors. MSN: Venezuela posting
• Negative Sentiment: North America remains a drag — Coverage (Barron’s/WSJ) notes North American activity was softer and weighed on results; continued weakness domestically could limit upside if international momentum fades. Barron’s: North America drag
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed cash-flow and operating metrics, plus insider selling — Some reports flagged weaker operating profit and lower operating cash vs. prior year and noted insider share sales; these are cautionary signs for longer-term cash generation and governance. Quiver: Q4 details & insider trades

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on HAL shares. Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Halliburton in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Zephirin Group boosted their price target on shares of Halliburton from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Halliburton from $29.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on Halliburton from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Halliburton from $31.00 to $36.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $33.82.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Mark Richard sold 160,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.77, for a total transaction of $4,443,200.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 452,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,562,425.98. This trade represents a 26.13% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Van H. Beckwith sold 8,854 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.89, for a total value of $246,938.06. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 333,528 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,302,095.92. The trade was a 2.59% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 268,854 shares of company stock valued at $7,915,138 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Halliburton

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Halliburton by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 92,754 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $2,353,000 after buying an additional 6,507 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in Halliburton by 39.0% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 73,341 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $1,861,000 after acquiring an additional 20,583 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth lifted its position in Halliburton by 25.0% in the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 52,045 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $1,320,000 after acquiring an additional 10,408 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Halliburton by 309.1% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 68,946 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $1,749,000 after acquiring an additional 52,092 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Halliburton during the first quarter worth about $895,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.23% of the company’s stock.

Halliburton Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 1.95 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market cap of $27.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.97 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $28.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $25.08.

Halliburton Company Profile

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.