Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) Upgraded at Freedom Broker

Freedom Broker upgraded shares of Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Thursday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has $40.00 target price on the oilfield services company’s stock, up from their previous target price of $37.00.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Halliburton from $45.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Halliburton in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Halliburton in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Halliburton from $53.00 to $51.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Eighteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.86.

Halliburton Stock Up 5.2%

Shares of HAL stock opened at $34.93 on Thursday. Halliburton has a 1-year low of $24.92 and a 1-year high of $43.59. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $34.24 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a current ratio of 2.02 and a quick ratio of 1.50. The company has a market cap of $29.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.83.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 20th. The oilfield services company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.58 by $0.02. Halliburton had a return on equity of 18.36% and a net margin of 8.90%. The company had revenue of $5.70 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.58 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Halliburton will post 2.33 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Halliburton Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 23rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, September 2nd were issued a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, September 2nd. Halliburton’s dividend payout ratio is 28.45%.

Insider Activity at Halliburton

In other news, COO Jeffrey Slocum sold 52,572 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.09, for a total value of $1,844,751.48. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 118,730 shares in the company, valued at $4,166,235.70. This represents a 30.69% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Halliburton

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Halliburton during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Kilter Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Halliburton in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Silvant Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Halliburton in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Matrix Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Halliburton in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Halliburton in the first quarter worth about $39,000. 85.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Halliburton

Here are the key news stories impacting Halliburton this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings beat and stronger outlook: Halliburton reported third-quarter revenue of approximately $5.7 billion and adjusted EPS of $0.60, exceeding Wall Street estimates. Management indicated that early 2027 expectations include mid-single-digit revenue growth and operating margins near 15%, or roughly 200 basis points above current levels. International activity, particularly in the Middle East and Latin America, helped offset softer North American stimulation demand. Halliburton stock rises after earnings beat and stronger 2027 margin outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support increased: Susquehanna maintained its Buy rating, while Freedom Broker upgraded Halliburton from Hold to Buy and raised its price target from $37 to $40. Other recent analyst targets are above the current share price, reinforcing the view that the stock may have recovery potential if margins and international growth continue improving. Susquehanna Keeps Their Buy Rating on Halliburton Freedom Broker upgrades Halliburton to buy from hold
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns remain supportive: Halliburton repurchased roughly $250 million of stock during the quarter, which may help support per-share results and signal management’s confidence in the business.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed operating trends: The earnings review highlighted solid headline results, but investors are weighing stronger international and offshore activity against weaker North American stimulation demand and questions about cash-flow conversion. Halliburton stock slips as Q3 earnings fuel cash flow questions
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling is a risk signal: Quiver data shows Halliburton insiders made 11 sales and no purchases over the past six months. While insider transactions may reflect personal liquidity needs, the absence of buying could temper bullish sentiment.

About Halliburton

Halliburton Company (NYSE: HAL) is a global provider of products and services for the energy industry. The company supports the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas through technologies and services used throughout the life cycle of a well.

Halliburton operates through two primary business segments: Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation. Its offerings include cementing, stimulation, well completion, production enhancement, drilling services, drilling fluids, well testing, wireline and perforating services, formation evaluation, and project management.