Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Zephirin Group

Zephirin Group cut shares of Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Friday morning,MarketScreener reports. They currently have $28.00 target price on the oilfield services company’s stock, down from their prior target price of $30.00.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Halliburton from $32.00 to $35.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Rothschild Redb raised Halliburton to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Redburn Partners set a $35.00 target price on Halliburton in a report on Monday, November 3rd. Hsbc Global Res raised Halliburton from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on shares of Halliburton in a research report on Monday, November 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $34.35.

Halliburton Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE HAL opened at $33.97 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68. Halliburton has a one year low of $18.72 and a one year high of $35.55. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $28.97 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.59 billion, a PE ratio of 22.50 and a beta of 0.78.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.54 by $0.15. Halliburton had a net margin of 5.78% and a return on equity of 19.77%. The business had revenue of $5.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.39 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.73 EPS. Halliburton’s revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Halliburton will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Halliburton Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, December 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, December 3rd. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Halliburton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Lawrence J. Pope sold 100,000 shares of Halliburton stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.25, for a total transaction of $3,225,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 419,800 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,538,550. This trade represents a 19.24% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Mark Richard sold 160,000 shares of Halliburton stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.77, for a total value of $4,443,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 452,374 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,562,425.98. This represents a 26.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 268,854 shares of company stock worth $7,915,138 in the last 90 days. 0.56% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Halliburton

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HAL. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new position in Halliburton in the third quarter valued at about $25,000. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in shares of Halliburton during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Halliburton in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Halliburton in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Halliburton during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. 85.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Halliburton News

Here are the key news stories impacting Halliburton this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and operational momentum — HAL topped EPS and revenue expectations, with improved margins and management emphasizing capital returns (buybacks/dividends) that support per-share value. MarketBeat: Halliburton Beat Expectations
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and price-target raises — multiple firms (TD Cowen, Susquehanna, RBC, BMO, JPMorgan, Evercore, Stifel, Capital One) raised targets or ratings after results, signaling consensus sentiment lift and providing upward price catalysts. Benzinga: Analysts Increase Forecasts
• Positive Sentiment: New strategic initiatives — a $35M Halliburton–A*STAR lab in Singapore targets faster tech-enabled growth in Asia, supporting international revenue diversification and longer-term service/product improvements. SBR: Halliburton, A*STAR $35m lab
• Positive Sentiment: Venezuela opportunity — company comments and hiring activity point to a potential quick re-entry if cleared politically, which could materially expand international revenue. WSJ: Halliburton Prepares to Re-Enter Venezuela
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity and new highs — large call buying and a 12-month high reflect elevated speculative and institutional interest, but they can amplify short-term volatility. AmericanBankingNews: Investors Buy Calls
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector noise — broader energy-market swings and geopolitics (plus periodic headlines) create background volatility that can mask company fundamentals in the near term. SeeItMarket: Energy Stocks Steady Amid Macro Chaos
• Negative Sentiment: Profit nuance — while EPS beat, net income edged down year-over-year (reported net income decline), highlighting some margin or one-time items that temper the beat. Yahoo: Q4 net income falls 4.2%
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrade — Zephirin Group cut HAL from Buy to Hold and trimmed its target to $28, flagging downside risk and reminding investors not all analysts are convinced upside is sustained. MarketScreener: Zephirin Downgrades HAL

Halliburton Company Profile

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.