Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Halliburton (NYSE:HAL – Free Report) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Sunday morning.
A number of other research firms have also issued reports on HAL. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Halliburton from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Argus boosted their price objective on Halliburton from $39.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 23rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Halliburton from $35.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Halliburton from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $43.00 target price (up from $36.00) on shares of Halliburton in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $41.09.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on HAL
Halliburton Stock Performance
Halliburton (NYSE:HAL – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $5.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.37 billion. Halliburton had a return on equity of 19.04% and a net margin of 6.95%.The business’s revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Halliburton will post 2.32 EPS for the current year.
Halliburton Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 4th. Halliburton’s dividend payout ratio is presently 37.36%.
Insider Transactions at Halliburton
In other news, Director Tobi M. Young sold 6,125 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.72, for a total value of $255,535.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $636,230. This represents a 28.65% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Timothy Mckeon sold 8,655 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.00, for a total value of $363,510.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 72,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,064,992. The trade was a 10.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 202,140 shares of company stock worth $7,936,927. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Halliburton
Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. purchased a new stake in Halliburton during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. bought a new position in Halliburton during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in Halliburton during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Halliburton during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position in Halliburton by 196.4% during the 4th quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 981 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. 85.23% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
More Halliburton News
Here are the key news stories impacting Halliburton this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Macro demand outlook — Oil‑service firms are positioning for a boom as global oil investment and producer activity pick up, which should lift equipment and services demand for Halliburton. Swashbuckling oil-services firms are preparing for a boom
- Positive Sentiment: Customer pull — Halliburton executives say smaller operators are “vacuuming up” idle equipment, implying increased utilization and potential revenue pickup for service providers. Halliburton executives: Smaller operators vacuuming up equipment slack
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst/TV support — Media and commentators (including Jim Cramer) are publicly positive on HAL as a cyclical play that has held up, which can support short‑term demand for the stock. Jim Cramer on Halliburton: “It’s Been a Good Stock Even in a Bad Oil Market”
- Neutral Sentiment: Recent results mixed — Last quarter HAL narrowly beat EPS and revenue estimates but showed modest year‑over‑year revenue decline; beats help sentiment but leave limited upside without stronger growth. MarketBeat HAL profile / recent earnings
- Neutral Sentiment: Energy-market divergence — Global gas tightness versus a US glut creates uneven activity across regions and basins; this mixed market backdrop could mute uniform upside for service companies. While Asia and Europe scramble for natural gas, the US glut has nowhere to go
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — VP Timothy McKeon sold 8,655 shares (under a Rule 10b5‑1 plan, which lowers interpretive weight), and director Tobi M. Young sold 6,125 shares (a ~28.7% cut to her holdings). Insider sales can sap sentiment even if some are pre‑arranged. McKeon Form 4 Young Form 4
- Negative Sentiment: Valuation/caution — Commentary that the recent rally “leaves little room for error” and other cautionary takes increase downside risk if growth disappoints or macro conditions shift. Halliburton: Recent Rally Leaves Little Room For Error
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.
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