Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Buys 34,784 Shares of Halliburton Company $HAL

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its stake in Halliburton by 3.6%, buying 34,784 shares to hold 989,968 shares (about 0.12%) worth roughly $28.08 million.
• CEO Jeffrey Allen Miller sold 158,455 shares at an average price of $40 on March 27, and insiders have sold 189,960 shares worth about $7.41 million over the past three months.
• Halliburton beat quarterly EPS expectations ($0.55 vs. $0.50) on $5.40 billion of revenue, pays a $0.17 quarterly dividend (1.7% yield), and carries an average analyst target of about $40.73 with a "Moderate Buy" consensus.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH raised its stake in Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL - Free Report) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 989,968 shares of the oilfield services company's stock after purchasing an additional 34,784 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.12% of Halliburton worth $28,078,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Research Global Investors grew its holdings in Halliburton by 81.8% during the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 91,030,451 shares of the oilfield services company's stock worth $2,239,349,000 after buying an additional 40,969,139 shares in the last quarter. Strive Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Halliburton during the 3rd quarter worth $418,738,000. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in Halliburton during the 3rd quarter worth $147,315,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Halliburton by 85.5% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 8,610,870 shares of the oilfield services company's stock worth $175,490,000 after acquiring an additional 3,969,759 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec grew its stake in shares of Halliburton by 163.8% in the 3rd quarter. Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec now owns 4,992,111 shares of the oilfield services company's stock worth $122,806,000 after acquiring an additional 3,100,037 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.23% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jeffrey Allen Miller sold 158,455 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,013,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,521,080. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Margaret Katherine Banks sold 2,600 shares of Halliburton stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.17, for a total value of $88,842.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 14,043 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $479,849.31. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 189,960 shares of company stock worth $7,406,724. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Halliburton Stock Up 1.4%

HAL opened at $39.65 on Friday. Halliburton Company has a twelve month low of $19.22 and a twelve month high of $41.18. The company's 50-day moving average price is $36.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.40. The stock has a market cap of $33.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.78, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $5.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.37 billion. Halliburton had a net margin of 6.95% and a return on equity of 19.04%. Halliburton's quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.60 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Halliburton Company will post 2.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Halliburton Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Halliburton's payout ratio is presently 37.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on HAL. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $39.00 target price on shares of Halliburton in a report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $29.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Halliburton from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their target price on Halliburton from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Seventeen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $40.73.

Halliburton 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.