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

Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-three analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $35.8095.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Halliburton in a research report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Halliburton from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Halliburton from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Halliburton from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Margaret Katherine Banks sold 2,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.17, for a total transaction of $88,842.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 14,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $479,849.31. This represents a 15.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jeffrey Allen Miller sold 171,200 shares of Halliburton stock in a transaction on Friday, January 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.96, for a total transaction of $5,985,152.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,101,243 shares in the company, valued at $38,499,455.28. This represents a 13.45% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 357,053 shares of company stock valued at $12,178,682. 0.56% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Nvest Wealth Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in Halliburton during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT boosted its stake in shares of Halliburton by 196.4% in the fourth quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 981 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 650 shares during the last quarter. Kelleher Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in shares of Halliburton during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new position in Halliburton in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in Halliburton in the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. 85.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Halliburton Stock Up 4.1%

NYSE:HAL opened at $40.39 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $33.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.75, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.73. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $34.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.46. Halliburton has a 1-year low of $18.72 and a 1-year high of $40.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.51.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $5.66 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.39 billion. Halliburton had a return on equity of 19.77% and a net margin of 5.78%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Halliburton will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

Halliburton Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. Halliburton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 45.03%.

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.