Two Sigma Securities LLC Makes New Investment in Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP)

Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 16,432 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $526,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. ARGA Investment Management LP raised its position in Helmerich & Payne by 42.5% in the fourth quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 2,686,215 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $86,013,000 after purchasing an additional 801,000 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Helmerich & Payne during the 4th quarter worth approximately $21,572,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Helmerich & Payne in the 4th quarter valued at $10,931,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Helmerich & Payne by 27.7% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,522,144 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $48,739,000 after acquiring an additional 329,734 shares in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 2,658,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $85,121,000 after acquiring an additional 327,374 shares during the period. 96.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Helmerich & Payne Trading Up 4.3 %

Shares of Helmerich & Payne stock traded up $0.81 on Thursday, hitting $19.70. 2,690,818 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,523,562. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $23.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $29.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 2.81 and a quick ratio of 2.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 6.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00. Helmerich & Payne, Inc. has a one year low of $17.82 and a one year high of $42.60.

Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.02. Helmerich & Payne had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 11.02%. On average, research analysts expect that Helmerich & Payne, Inc. will post 2.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Helmerich & Payne Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.08%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Helmerich & Payne's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO John W. Lindsay acquired 20,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $27.55 per share, for a total transaction of $551,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 691,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,042,945.70. The trade was a 2.98 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Belgacem Chariag bought 37,356 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $27.08 per share, with a total value of $1,011,600.48. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 54,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,730.48. This represents a 216.56 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 4.51% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on HP shares. Royal Bank of Canada reduced 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 research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $27.00 price objective on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Evercore ISI reiterated an "in-line" rating and set a $39.00 price target (down previously from $48.00) on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Helmerich & Payne from $32.00 to $25.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Helmerich & Payne from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Helmerich & Payne presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $31.78.

Helmerich & Payne Company Profile

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.