Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Halliburton to “Buy” from “Hold.” The broader analyst consensus is “Moderate Buy,” based on 18 Buy, six Hold and one Sell rating, with an average price target of $43.10 versus the recent $35.38 share price.
• Halliburton beat quarterly expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $0.55 versus $0.54 expected and revenue of $5.71 billion versus $5.50 billion expected. Revenue rose 3.7% year over year, although EPS was unchanged from the prior-year quarter.
• Institutional ownership is high at 85.23%, with major investors including BlackRock and Capital Research increasing or initiating positions. However, Halliburton’s CFO and COO recently sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Sunday.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Capital One Financial boosted their target price on Halliburton from $41.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Halliburton from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $47.00 price target on shares of Halliburton in a report on Sunday, April 26th. Susquehanna reduced their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $37.00 price objective on shares of Halliburton in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Eighteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $43.10.

Halliburton Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of Halliburton stock opened at $35.38 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.64, a quick ratio of 1.50 and a current ratio of 2.02. Halliburton has a 52-week low of $21.40 and a 52-week high of $43.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.73. The company's 50 day moving average price is $33.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.50.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $5.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.50 billion. Halliburton had a net margin of 7.16% and a return on equity of 18.71%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.55 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Halliburton will post 2.34 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Eric Carre sold 24,778 shares of Halliburton stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.89, for a total transaction of $889,282.42. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 148,520 shares in the company, valued at $5,330,382.80. The trade was a 14.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, COO Jeffrey Shannon Slocum sold 52,572 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.09, for a total value of $1,844,751.48. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 118,730 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,166,235.70. The trade was a 30.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Halliburton

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Halliburton in the second quarter worth about $2,812,327,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Halliburton by 82,596.0% during 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. Capital Research Global Investors lifted its holdings in shares of Halliburton by 21.1% during 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. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC bought a new stake in shares of Halliburton in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $345,941,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Halliburton in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $337,486,000. 85.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Halliburton

Here are the key news stories impacting Halliburton this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Halliburton Labs added Electroflow, Osmoses and SiTration to its portfolio. The companies focus on battery materials, gas separation and critical-metal recovery, giving Halliburton exposure to emerging energy technologies and potentially supporting longer-term diversification beyond traditional oilfield services. Halliburton Labs Announces Three New Portfolio Companies
• Positive Sentiment: Halliburton’s latest quarterly results showed modest operational strength: earnings per share exceeded estimates, revenue reached $5.71 billion versus a $5.50 billion consensus, and sales increased 3.7% year over year. Analysts remain broadly constructive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $43.10, well above recent trading levels. Q2 Rundown: Halliburton Vs Other Oilfield Services Stocks
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent options-market activity has drawn attention to the possibility of a larger move in HAL, but the available report does not establish whether traders are positioned for a rise or decline. The activity mainly signals increased volatility expectations. Are Options Traders Betting on a Big Move in Halliburton Stock?
• Negative Sentiment: COO Jeffrey Shannon Slocum sold 52,572 shares worth approximately $1.84 million, reducing his direct ownership by 30.69%. The transaction was made under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, which makes it a weaker bearish signal, but the size of the sale may still weigh on sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: Although Halliburton beat quarterly estimates, EPS was unchanged from the year-earlier period, and analysts have recently lowered several price targets. That combination suggests expectations for near-term oilfield-services growth remain restrained despite the company’s longer-term opportunities.

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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