Stifel Nicolaus Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Patterson-UTI Energy (NASDAQ:PTEN) Stock

Patterson-UTI Energy (NASDAQ:PTEN) had its price objective upped by Stifel Nicolaus from $9.00 to $11.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 27.02% from the stock’s previous close.

PTEN has been the subject of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Patterson-UTI Energy in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Tudor Pickering downgraded Patterson-UTI Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Patterson-UTI Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Patterson-UTI Energy from $7.00 to $8.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $6.00 target price (down from $7.00) on shares of Patterson-UTI Energy in a research report on Monday, October 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $7.50.

Patterson-UTI Energy Stock Up 6.0%

PTEN opened at $8.66 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $6.70 and a 200-day moving average of $6.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -34.64 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Patterson-UTI Energy has a 1-year low of $5.10 and a 1-year high of $9.30.

Patterson-UTI Energy (NASDAQ:PTEN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.02) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.11) by $0.09. Patterson-UTI Energy had a negative net margin of 1.94% and a negative return on equity of 1.50%. The firm had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned ($0.13) EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Patterson-UTI Energy will post -0.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James Carl Stewart sold 368,254 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $5.87, for a total transaction of $2,161,650.98. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 207,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,215,090. This trade represents a 64.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 2.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Patterson-UTI Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised its stake in shares of Patterson-UTI Energy by 23.7% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 169,995 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,397,000 after acquiring an additional 32,622 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its holdings in Patterson-UTI Energy by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 231,637 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,904,000 after purchasing an additional 10,142 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Patterson-UTI Energy by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 4,747,463 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $39,024,000 after purchasing an additional 220,422 shares during the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in Patterson-UTI Energy in the first quarter worth $176,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its stake in Patterson-UTI Energy by 3.6% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 864,492 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,106,000 after purchasing an additional 30,217 shares in the last quarter. 97.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Patterson-UTI Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Patterson-UTI Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Patterson-UTI reported a narrower-than-expected Q4 loss and revenue that beat estimates; management highlighted stronger Completion Services and lower costs helping results. Q4 results (Zacks)
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced a 25% increase to its quarterly dividend (to $0.10), implying a higher yield (~4.9%) and signaling confidence in free cash flow — a catalyst for income-focused investors. Dividend & capex note (Seeking Alpha)
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised targets and ratings: Stifel lifted its PT to $11 (buy) and RBC raised its PT to $9 (outperform), which can drive buying interest and support the rally. Stifel target raise (TickerReport) RBC note (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Patterson-UTI reported January drilling activity: an average of 94 rigs operating in the U.S., a datapoint showing stable operating scale but not a major directional catalyst by itself. January rig count (Access Newswire)
• Neutral Sentiment: Management signaled a 15% CapEx reduction alongside the dividend hike, emphasizing cash-return focus and margin resilience — positive for cash flow but may reduce near-term growth spend. CapEx & dividend details (Seeking Alpha)
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the beat, PTEN remains unprofitable on a GAAP basis (Q4 loss per share) and shows negative net margin/ROE; multi-year profitability recovery is still a work in progress. Q4 loss (Zacks)

Patterson-UTI Energy Company Profile

Patterson-UTI Energy provides a comprehensive suite of onshore contract drilling and pressure pumping services to exploration and production companies in North America. The company’s core offerings include land-based drilling rigs, directional drilling, hydraulic fracturing services, downhole tool rental and well-servicing equipment. By integrating drilling and completion capabilities, Patterson-UTI Energy offers operators a streamlined solution designed to improve operational efficiency and well performance.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Patterson-UTI Energy traces its origins to its founding in 1978 and was later incorporated in Delaware in 1996.