Jeffrey Shannon Slocum Sells 5,441 Shares of Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) Stock

Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) COO Jeffrey Shannon Slocum sold 5,441 shares of Halliburton stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.82, for a total transaction of $184,014.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 187,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,338,645.86. This trade represents a 2.82% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Halliburton Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of Halliburton stock opened at $36.22 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $34.19 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $28.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $30.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.98, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.73. Halliburton Company has a 12-month low of $18.72 and a 12-month high of $37.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.14. Halliburton had a net margin of 5.78% and a return on equity of 19.77%. The business had revenue of $5.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.73 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Halliburton Company will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

Halliburton Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. Halliburton’s payout ratio is presently 45.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on HAL. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective on shares of Halliburton in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Halliburton from $36.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $39.00 price target on shares of Halliburton in a research report on Friday, February 6th. TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Halliburton from $33.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Halliburton presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $35.38.

Institutional Trading of Halliburton

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in Halliburton by 7.5% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 92,754 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $2,353,000 after acquiring an additional 6,507 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in Halliburton by 39.0% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 73,341 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock worth $1,861,000 after purchasing an additional 20,583 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth grew its stake in shares of Halliburton by 25.0% during the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 52,045 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock worth $1,320,000 after purchasing an additional 10,408 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Halliburton by 309.1% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 68,946 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock worth $1,749,000 after purchasing an additional 52,092 shares during the period. Finally, Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Halliburton during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $895,000. 85.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.