Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP) Receives Average Rating of "Hold" from Brokerages

Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the eleven research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $31.78.

Several research firms have weighed in on HP. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on shares of Helmerich & Payne from $41.00 to $35.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Helmerich & Payne from $43.00 to $28.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Argus raised Helmerich & Payne to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Evercore ISI reissued an "in-line" rating and set a $39.00 target price (down previously from $48.00) on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $27.00 price target on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research note on Thursday, March 27th.

Insider Transactions at Helmerich & Payne

In other Helmerich & Payne news, Director Belgacem Chariag acquired 37,356 shares of Helmerich & Payne stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $27.08 per share, with a total value of $1,011,600.48. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 54,606 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,478,730.48. This represents a 216.56 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO John W. Lindsay bought 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $27.55 per share, with a total value of $551,000.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 691,214 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,042,945.70. This represents a 2.98 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 4.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Helmerich & Payne

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 10,113 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in Helmerich & Payne by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 21,763 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $697,000 after purchasing an additional 408 shares during the last quarter. Napatree Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Napatree Capital LLC now owns 20,847 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $668,000 after purchasing an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 4.5% during the first quarter. Ellis Investment Partners LLC now owns 12,999 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $340,000 after purchasing an additional 558 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in Helmerich & Payne by 7.6% in the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,294 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $217,000 after buying an additional 587 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.05% of the company's stock.

Helmerich & Payne Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE HP opened at $20.25 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The company has a market capitalization of $2.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00. Helmerich & Payne has a 12 month low of $17.82 and a 12 month high of $42.60. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $22.89 and a 200-day moving average of $29.42.

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

Helmerich & Payne Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Helmerich & Payne's payout ratio is presently 32.89%.

About Helmerich & Payne

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.

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