Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twenty-five ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $32.50.

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on HAL shares. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Halliburton from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Barclays upped their target price on Halliburton from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on Halliburton in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Halliburton in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Rothschild Redb raised shares of Halliburton to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, November 3rd.

Halliburton Price Performance

Shares of Halliburton stock opened at $27.80 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41 and a beta of 0.81. Halliburton has a twelve month low of $18.72 and a twelve month high of $30.40. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.88 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $23.84.

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

Halliburton Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 24th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, December 3rd. Halliburton’s dividend payout ratio is 45.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Halliburton news, insider Mark Richard sold 160,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.77, for a total value 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Van H. Beckwith sold 8,854 shares of Halliburton stock in a transaction on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.89, for a total value of $246,938.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 333,528 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,302,095.92. The trade was a 2.59% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Halliburton

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Algert Global LLC bought a new position in shares of Halliburton in the first quarter worth about $1,772,000. Versor Investments LP acquired a new position in Halliburton during the 1st quarter worth approximately $513,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Halliburton by 763.5% in the 1st quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 206,405 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $5,236,000 after purchasing an additional 182,503 shares during the last quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. lifted its stake in Halliburton by 527.9% in the 1st quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. now owns 130,104 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $3,296,000 after purchasing an additional 109,384 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Credit Agricole S A boosted its position in Halliburton by 3.6% in the first quarter. Credit Agricole S A now owns 380,338 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $9,649,000 after buying an additional 13,323 shares in the last quarter. 85.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.