Key Points
- EVP Lawrence Pope sold 100,000 Halliburton shares on Jan. 5 at an average price of $32.25 for $3.225M, reducing his stake by 19.24% to 419,800 shares (SEC filing).
- Shares have been volatile (opened at $30.86, down ~3.3%), but analysts overall rate HAL a "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $32.05 and several firms recently raising targets.
- Fundamentals: Halliburton recently beat quarterly expectations with $0.58 EPS versus $0.50 expected and $5.60B revenue, and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.17 (annualized $0.68, ~2.2% yield).
Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL - Get Free Report) EVP Lawrence Pope sold 100,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total value of $3,225,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 419,800 shares in the company, valued at $13,538,550. The trade was a 19.24% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.
Halliburton Stock Down 3.3%
HAL stock opened at $30.86 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.97 billion, a PE ratio of 20.44 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.70. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $27.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.28. Halliburton Company has a 1-year low of $18.72 and a 1-year high of $33.03.
Halliburton (NYSE:HAL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $5.60 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.39 billion. Halliburton had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 20.12%. The business's revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Halliburton Company will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.
Halliburton Announces Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 3rd. Halliburton's dividend payout ratio is presently 45.03%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $31.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Evercore ISI restated an "in-line" rating and issued a $35.00 target price (up previously from $28.00) on shares of Halliburton in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley set a $34.00 target price on Halliburton in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Halliburton in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $32.05.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Halliburton
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HAL. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Halliburton by 81.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 91,030,451 shares of the oilfield services company's stock worth $2,239,349,000 after acquiring an additional 40,969,139 shares in the last quarter. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Halliburton in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $418,738,000. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Halliburton in the third quarter valued at $147,315,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Halliburton during the 2nd quarter worth about $109,379,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 3,969,759 shares during the period. 85.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Halliburton News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Halliburton this week:
- Positive Sentiment: MarketBeat deep-dive: a U.S.-led push to rebuild Venezuela’s oil industry is being priced as a multi‑year, $100+ billion capex opportunity that should directly benefit oilfield services providers like Halliburton (well construction, cementing, repair work). This is the primary bullish fundamental catalyst behind recent rallies. The Caracas Catalyst: Big Oil’s $100 Billion Opportunity (HAL)
- Positive Sentiment: News-driven rally: comments about U.S. firms investing in Venezuela and related geopolitical moves sparked a sharp jump in HAL (recently hit a 52-week high), showing strong momentum from event-driven flows. That same dynamic attracted higher option and equity volume. Halliburton (HAL) Stock Rallies Following Trump Venezuela Comments
- Positive Sentiment: Elevated bullish positioning: analysts and commentary noted a recent 7.8% session surge and unusually large call‑option activity, indicating short-term speculative conviction that upside remains if the Venezuela narrative persists. Halliburton (HAL) Soars 7.8%: Is Further Upside Left in the Stock?
- Neutral Sentiment: Market conversation is mixed: social and Quiver summaries show strong bullish chatter but also caution about hype and insider sales; upcoming Q4 earnings (expected Jan 21) is a proximate catalyst that could confirm or temper the rally. Halliburton Stock (HAL) Opinions on Venezuela Oil Developments
- Neutral Sentiment: Congressional / political trading headlines (coverage of a Rep. purchase and other political actors) are drawing attention; this affects sentiment but not the company’s fundamentals directly. Monitor for regulatory or reputational follow-ups. U.S. politician profits from Venezuela crisis after super suspicious oil stock trade
- Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade: Evercore ISI cut Halliburton to "in line" (cited North America exposure) while raising peers, a direct headwind that likely amplified selling pressure after the short-lived rally. SLB raised on reduced risk profile, Halliburton cut on North America exposure at Evercore ISI
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Halliburton EVP Lawrence J. Pope sold 100,000 shares (~$3.2M) recently, reducing his stake materially; multiple insider sales have been flagged in filings, which can weigh on investor confidence during volatile moves. SEC filing - Insider Sale (Lawrence J. Pope)
- Negative Sentiment: Price pullback note: headline coverage reports HAL trading lower amid broader session gains as the market rotates out of a rapid news‑driven trade; that suggests short‑term profit taking and higher volatility until fundamentals (earnings, contract wins, or Venezuela licensing clarity) arrive. Halliburton (HAL) Stock Dips While Market Gains: Key Facts
About Halliburton
(
Get Free Report)
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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