Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) Short Interest Down 15.0% in March

Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) was the recipient of a significant drop in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 31,283,491 shares, a drop of 15.0% from the March 15th total of 36,815,095 shares. Approximately 3.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 19,851,547 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.6 days.

Halliburton Stock Down 2.6%

Halliburton stock opened at $37.16 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $31.04 billion, a PE ratio of 24.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a current ratio of 2.04. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $36.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $31.06. Halliburton has a twelve month low of $19.22 and a twelve month high of $41.18.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $5.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.39 billion. Halliburton had a net margin of 5.78% and a return on equity of 19.77%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.73 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Halliburton will post 2.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Halliburton Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were given a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. Halliburton’s payout ratio is currently 45.03%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jeffrey Allen Miller sold 158,455 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $6,338,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,013,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $40,521,080. This trade represents a 13.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Margaret Katherine Banks sold 2,600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.17, for a total transaction of $88,842.00. Following the sale, the director owned 14,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $479,849.31. The trade was a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 415,508 shares of company stock valued at $15,291,882 in the last ninety days. 0.57% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Halliburton

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cidel Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Halliburton by 75.5% in the first quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 20,305 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock worth $792,000 after acquiring an additional 8,734 shares in the last quarter. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC MO bought a new stake in Halliburton in the first quarter worth approximately $203,000. AGP Franklin LLC bought a new stake in Halliburton in the first quarter worth approximately $1,178,000. Kaufman Rossin Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Halliburton in the first quarter worth approximately $248,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Halliburton by 12.4% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 837,956 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock worth $32,672,000 after acquiring an additional 92,569 shares in the last quarter. 85.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Halliburton from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Halliburton from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Zephirin Group downgraded shares of Halliburton from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $30.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price target on shares of Halliburton from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Halliburton from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $37.81.

Trending Headlines about Halliburton

Here are the key news stories impacting Halliburton this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citi raised its price target to $45 (from $38) and maintained a Buy rating, citing sector adjustments ahead of Q1 results — a direct vote of confidence from a major sell-side analyst. Halliburton price target raised to $45 from $38 at Citi
• Positive Sentiment: Royal Bank of Canada boosted its price target to $43, reinforcing upward analyst sentiment that can support near-term buying interest. Royal Bank Of Canada Increases Halliburton Price Target to $43.00
• Positive Sentiment: Halliburton is pushing electric fracturing and other completion technologies into South American shale plays to grow international revenue — strategic expansion that supports longer-term service demand. Fracking Halliburton And The Big Bet South Of The Border
• Neutral Sentiment: Halliburton Labs alumni activity (NanoTech Materials raised $29.4M) highlights the company’s innovation ecosystem — positive for long-term tech pipeline but limited immediate financial impact. Halliburton Labs alum NanoTech Materials raises $29.4M
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly previews aggregate consensus at roughly $0.49 EPS on ~$5.3B revenue for Q1 (reporting April 21). Analysts are focused on key metrics beyond headline EPS to judge whether drilling-technology gains offset completion weakness. Halliburton Q1 Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Previews flag “cross-currents”: completion-market headwinds and geopolitical/Middle East exposure could temper margins or guidance; that uncertainty ahead of Q1 makes the stock vulnerable to a negative reaction if results or commentary disappoint. Halliburton Q1 Earnings on the Horizon: Analysts’ Insights

About Halliburton

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.