Earnest Partners LLC Buys 35,013 Shares of Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP)

Earnest Partners LLC increased its position in Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,487,019 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 35,013 shares during the quarter. Earnest Partners LLC owned approximately 3.51% of Helmerich & Payne worth $111,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of HP. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Helmerich & Payne during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 61.3% during the fourth quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,386 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 907 shares in the last quarter. Steph & Co. bought a new stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $87,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 82.5% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,805 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $88,000 after purchasing an additional 1,268 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC raised its position in Helmerich & Payne by 817.5% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 3,046 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 2,714 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.05% of the company's stock.

Helmerich & Payne Stock Up 2.8 %

HP traded up $0.55 on Friday, hitting $20.19. 814,714 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,522,733. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a current ratio of 2.81. The stock's fifty day moving average is $23.02 and its 200-day moving average is $29.51. The company has a market cap of $2.01 billion, a PE ratio of 6.63, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00. Helmerich & Payne, Inc. has a 12 month low of $17.82 and a 12 month high of $42.60.

Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.02. Helmerich & Payne had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 11.02%. Equities research analysts predict that Helmerich & Payne, Inc. will post 2.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Helmerich & Payne Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.95%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Helmerich & Payne's payout ratio is 32.89%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI reaffirmed an "in-line" rating and issued a $39.00 price objective (down from $48.00) on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on Helmerich & Payne from $43.00 to $28.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Helmerich & Payne from $41.00 to $35.00 and set a "sector perform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Helmerich & Payne from $33.00 to $32.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on Helmerich & Payne from $32.00 to $25.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $31.78.

Insider Activity at Helmerich & Payne

In related news, Director Belgacem Chariag acquired 37,356 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $27.08 per share, for a total transaction of $1,011,600.48. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 54,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,730.48. The trade was a 216.56 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John W. Lindsay purchased 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $27.55 per share, for a total transaction of $551,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 691,214 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,042,945.70. This trade represents a 2.98 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 4.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Helmerich & Payne Profile

Founded in 1920, Helmerich & Payne, Inc (H&P) NYSE: HP is committed to delivering industry leading levels of drilling productivity and reliability. H&P operates with the highest level of integrity, safety and innovation to deliver superior results for its customers and returns for shareholders.