Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) Downgraded to Buy Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Halliburton from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 16th. Susquehanna upped their target price on shares of Halliburton from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Halliburton from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $36.00 price objective on Halliburton in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on Halliburton from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Halliburton currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $35.81.

Halliburton Stock Performance

HAL stock opened at $40.39 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.83 billion, a PE ratio of 26.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.73. Halliburton has a fifty-two week low of $18.72 and a fifty-two week 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. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $34.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $29.51.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Halliburton will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

Halliburton Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Van H. Beckwith sold 19,618 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.82, for a total value of $663,480.76. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 344,535 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $11,652,173.70. This represents a 5.39% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Timothy Mckeon sold 3,846 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.37, for a total transaction of $132,187.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 81,631 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,805,657.47. This represents a 4.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 357,053 shares of company stock worth $12,178,682. 0.56% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of HAL. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Halliburton by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Vermillion Wealth Management Inc. now owns 1,456 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 289 shares during the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Halliburton by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 23,312 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $659,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its stake in Halliburton by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 5,320 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $150,000 after buying an additional 361 shares during the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Halliburton by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,363 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $293,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares during the period. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC raised its holdings in Halliburton by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 5,370 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $132,000 after acquiring an additional 370 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.23% of the company’s stock.

Halliburton News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Halliburton this week:

• Positive Sentiment: J.P. Morgan says the Iran war should have little impact on Halliburton’s Q1 earnings, reducing near‑term downside risk and supporting the stock’s rally. Halliburton hits two-year high as JP Morgan sees little Q1 earnings impact from Iran war
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target to $42, signaling analyst confidence in upside versus current levels. BMO Capital Markets Increases Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) Price Target to $42.00
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Industry Outlook highlights Halliburton as a beneficiary of high oil prices, strong demand and tech-driven efficiency gains in the oilfield services sector. Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Halliburton, Baker Hughes, TechnipFMC and Archrock
• Positive Sentiment: Market momentum: the stock hit a 52‑week / two‑year high as rising oil prices and geopolitical tensions lifted the energy sector, helping Halliburton trade up. Halliburton stock hits 52-week high at 39.95 USD
• Positive Sentiment: Broker consensus remains constructive: Halliburton has an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy,” supporting demand for the shares. Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street Zen reported a downgrade to “Buy” — still a positive label but a cut from a higher rating, so limited directional impact. Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy
• Negative Sentiment: Industry caution: Reuters warns oilfield services firms could see earnings pressure because producers may delay new drilling until higher oil prices prove durable — a risk that could blunt upside for Halliburton if drilling activity lags. Services firms feel the squeeze as oil rally from Iran war fails to spur drilling

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.