Barclays Has Lowered Expectations for Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) Stock Price

Key Points

• Barclays cut its price target on Halliburton to $29 from $30 and maintained an "equal weight" rating, implying about a 22.6% downside from the stock's then-current price.
• Other analysts remain more bullish—several firms raised targets (Argus $39, TD Cowen $40, Citi $38, Morgan Stanley $35), leaving a consensus price target of about $36.43 and an average rating of "Moderate Buy."
• Halliburton recently beat Q4 estimates (EPS $0.69 vs $0.55, revenue $5.66B vs $5.39B), but insiders have sold shares (415,508 shares in the last 90 days) while institutional ownership stands high at ~85%.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by analysts at Barclays from $30.00 to $29.00 in a report released on Wednesday,MarketScreener reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the oilfield services company's stock. Barclays's price objective indicates a potential downside of 22.58% from the company's current price.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Argus boosted their price target on Halliburton from $31.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $33.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $30.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $35.00 price objective on shares of Halliburton in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $36.43.

Halliburton Stock Performance

Shares of HAL traded down $1.26 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $37.46. 1,821,622 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,681,564. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. The company has a market cap of $31.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.63, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.68. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $35.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.35. Halliburton has a twelve month low of $18.75 and a twelve month high of $41.18.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL - Get Free Report) 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 in the previous year, the company posted $0.73 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Halliburton will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Halliburton

In related news, COO Jeffrey Shannon Slocum sold 5,441 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.82, for a total transaction of $184,014.62. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 187,423 shares in the company, valued at $6,338,645.86. This represents a 2.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Timothy Mckeon sold 3,846 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.37, for a total transaction of $132,187.02. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 81,631 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. Insiders sold 415,508 shares of company stock worth $15,291,882 over the last 90 days. 0.61% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Halliburton

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital Research Global Investors raised its position in Halliburton by 21.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 110,220,971 shares of the oilfield services company's stock valued at $3,114,848,000 after purchasing an additional 19,190,520 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in Halliburton by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 50,825,761 shares of the oilfield services company's stock valued at $1,436,336,000 after purchasing an additional 861,964 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in Halliburton by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 31,097,164 shares of the oilfield services company's stock valued at $878,806,000 after purchasing an additional 443,064 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Halliburton by 82,596.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 29,771,388 shares of the oilfield services company's stock valued at $841,339,000 after purchasing an additional 29,735,387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanders Capital LLC raised its position in Halliburton by 9.4% in the third quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 26,004,682 shares of the oilfield services company's stock valued at $639,715,000 after purchasing an additional 2,238,983 shares during the last quarter. 85.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Halliburton

Here are the key news stories impacting Halliburton this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Susquehanna raised its price target on HAL to $45 and kept a "positive" rating, implying meaningful upside from current levels and lending momentum to the stock. Susquehanna adjusts price target on Halliburton
• Positive Sentiment: Halliburton signed a strategic collaboration agreement with PETRONAS Suriname and Valaris to align planning through execution on Suriname offshore assets — this expands Halliburton’s offshore project pipeline and could boost long‑term revenue and margins if projects advance. Halliburton Strengthens Global Footprint With Strategic Alliance
• Positive Sentiment: Management is pursuing a charter amendment to remove a pass‑through voting provision for HESI, a governance change framed as increasing operational flexibility and possible valuation upside. Investors often reward clearer corporate control and deal agility. Halliburton Charter Vote Tests Governance Control And Valuation Upside
• Neutral Sentiment: Energy sector momentum remains a backdrop: many oil & gas stocks are outperforming amid geopolitical supply concerns, which supports investor appetite for HAL as an oilfield services play. This is a sector tailwind but not specific company revenue confirmation. Oil Stocks Are Hot. Here Are 9 Worth Getting To Know.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market snapshots showed energy stocks leaning lower at times last week, signaling intraday/short‑term volatility that could affect HAL despite company‑specific positives. Sector Update: Energy Stocks Lean Lower Pre-Bell
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts caution not all oil‑services companies benefit equally from the Middle East conflict; JPMorgan warns uneven upstream spending patterns could leave some service providers exposed, a risk for HAL if certain end‑markets soften. Not all oil stocks will benefit from Middle East conflict, JPMorgan says
• Negative Sentiment: Upcoming Q1 results carry risk: previews note analysts expect a double‑digit EPS decline for the quarter, so near‑term beat/miss outcomes can swing the stock. Investors should watch the report and guidance for evidence the new collaborations convert to revenue. Halliburton Earnings Preview: What to Expect

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.

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