Halliburton (NYSE:HAL - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 32,080,000 shares, a growth of 37.0% from the April 30th total of 23,420,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 14,000,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.3 days. Currently, 3.8% of the company's stock are sold short.
Halliburton Trading Up 2.1%
HAL traded up $0.42 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $20.43. 16,935,309 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,921,810. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 2.05 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $21.09 and a 200 day moving average of $25.18. Halliburton has a 12-month low of $18.72 and a 12-month high of $37.08.
Halliburton (NYSE:HAL - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 22nd. The oilfield services company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.60. The business had revenue of $5.42 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $5.28 billion. Halliburton had a net margin of 10.90% and a return on equity of 26.03%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Halliburton will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.
Halliburton Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 4th will be given a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 4th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. Halliburton's payout ratio is currently 28.45%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Halliburton from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Citigroup cut their target price on Halliburton from $33.00 to $31.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Halliburton from $27.00 to $24.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Hsbc Global Res upgraded Halliburton to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Halliburton from $34.00 to $28.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Halliburton presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $33.53.
View Our Latest Stock Report on Halliburton
Insider Transactions at Halliburton
In other Halliburton news, CFO Eric Carre sold 51,179 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $1,279,475.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 127,101 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,177,525. The trade was a 28.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Timothy Mckeon sold 10,497 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.60, for a total value of $258,226.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 77,784 shares in the company, valued at $1,913,486.40. This represents a 11.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the company's stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Halliburton
Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its holdings in Halliburton by 4.1% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 83,077 shares of the oilfield services company's stock worth $2,259,000 after purchasing an additional 3,287 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its holdings in Halliburton by 48.2% in the 4th quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 71,797 shares of the oilfield services company's stock worth $1,931,000 after purchasing an additional 23,340 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC raised its holdings in Halliburton by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 70,229 shares of the oilfield services company's stock worth $1,910,000 after purchasing an additional 2,464 shares in the last quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. raised its holdings in Halliburton by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Comprehensive Financial Consultants Institutional Inc. now owns 61,644 shares of the oilfield services company's stock worth $1,676,000 after purchasing an additional 3,559 shares in the last quarter. Finally, WFA Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Halliburton in the 4th quarter worth $143,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.23% of the company's stock.
About Halliburton
(
Get Free Report)
Halliburton Company provides products and services to the energy industry worldwide. It operates through two segments, Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation. The Completion and Production segment offers production enhancement services that include stimulation and sand control services; cementing services, such as well bonding and casing, and casing equipment; and completion tools that offer downhole solutions and services, including well completion products and services, intelligent well completions, and service tools, as well as liner hanger, sand control, and multilateral systems.
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