Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Reduces Stock Position in Halliburton Company $HAL

Key Points

• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group cut its stake in Halliburton by 6.7% in Q4, leaving it with 2,223,828 shares worth about $62.8 million (0.26% ownership).
• Analysts have been raising targets and ratings for Halliburton, leaving the stock with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $36.95, with several firms lifting targets into the $38–$42 range.
• Insiders have been selling material shares recently: CEO Jeffrey Allen Miller sold 158,455 shares (~$6.34M) and insiders sold 415,508 shares totaling roughly $15.29M in the last three months.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. cut its stake in Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL - Free Report) by 6.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,223,828 shares of the oilfield services company's stock after selling 160,140 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.26% of Halliburton worth $62,845,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Halliburton during the fourth quarter valued at $1,054,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its position in Halliburton by 1.7% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,929,285 shares of the oilfield services company's stock worth $145,860,000 after purchasing an additional 96,394 shares during the last quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Halliburton during the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,775,000. Tejara Capital Ltd grew its stake in shares of Halliburton by 98.8% during the 3rd quarter. Tejara Capital Ltd now owns 134,365 shares of the oilfield services company's stock valued at $3,305,000 after purchasing an additional 66,765 shares during the period. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Halliburton by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 1,645,526 shares of the oilfield services company's stock valued at $40,480,000 after purchasing an additional 186,105 shares during the last quarter. 85.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Argus upped their target price on shares of Halliburton from $31.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Halliburton from $33.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Halliburton from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Capital One Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Halliburton presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $36.95.

Halliburton Trading Down 2.8%

Halliburton stock opened at $37.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $36.11 and a 200 day moving average of $30.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.68. Halliburton Company has a 12-month low of $19.22 and a 12-month high of $41.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

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 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 the consensus estimate of $5.39 billion. Halliburton had a net margin of 5.78% and a return on equity of 19.77%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.73 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Halliburton Company will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Halliburton Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th were issued a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Halliburton's dividend payout ratio is currently 45.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Halliburton news, CEO Jeffrey Allen Miller sold 158,455 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $6,338,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,013,027 shares of the company's stock, valued at $40,521,080. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Timothy Mckeon sold 3,846 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $34.37, for a total value of $132,187.02. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 81,631 shares in the company, valued at $2,805,657.47. The trade was a 4.50% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 415,508 shares of company stock worth $15,291,882 in the last three months. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting Halliburton

Here are the key news stories impacting Halliburton this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Won a multibillion‑dollar, multi‑year completions/fracturing contract with YPF to expand work in Argentina’s Vaca Muerta — expands Halliburton’s international footprint and deploys its Zeus electric fracturing technology, supporting long‑term revenue and margin upside. YPF Awards Halliburton Multibillion-dollar Long-term Unconventional Completions Contract in Argentina
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets: RBC raised its price target to $43 (keeps Outperform) and Susquehanna raised its target to $45 (Positive), signaling improved medium‑term analyst conviction that could support multiple expansion. RBC Raises Price Target on Halliburton to $43
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces and reviews are circulating (competitor comparisons and industry notes); useful for context but less likely to move the stock immediately versus the contract and earnings drivers. Reviewing Halliburton (HAL) and Its Competitors
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term earnings risk: multiple previews and analyst notes expect Q1 earnings to weaken and suggest Halliburton lacks the setup for an earnings beat this quarter — short‑term disappointment on results or guidance could pressure the stock despite the long‑term contract. Earnings Preview: Halliburton (HAL) Q1 Earnings Expected to Decline
• Neutral Sentiment: Market‑level effect: coverage noted the stock fell while broader markets rose — indicates some idiosyncratic selling or profit‑taking unrelated to the broader tape. Halliburton (HAL) Stock Sinks As Market Gains

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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