37,300 Shares in Halliburton Company $HAL Purchased by Contravisory Investment Management Inc.

Contravisory Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 37,300 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,054,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kelleher Financial Advisors bought a new position in Halliburton during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. acquired a new stake in Halliburton during the third quarter worth about $25,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new position in Halliburton in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new position in Halliburton in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Halliburton in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Institutional investors own 85.23% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Jeffrey Shannon Slocum sold 5,441 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $33.82, for a total transaction of $184,014.62. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 187,423 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,338,645.86. This represents a 2.82% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Van H. Beckwith sold 54,348 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.96, for a total value of $1,900,006.08. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 344,535 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,044,943.60. This trade represents a 13.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 357,053 shares of company stock valued at $12,178,682. Corporate insiders own 0.56% of the company’s stock.

Halliburton Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of Halliburton stock opened at $37.48 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $34.47 and its 200 day moving average is $29.08. Halliburton Company has a one year low of $18.72 and a one year high of $37.79. The firm has a market cap of $31.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.82, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 1.51.

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 company had revenue of $5.66 billion during 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%. Halliburton’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.73 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Halliburton Company will post 2.64 EPS for the current year.

Halliburton Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Halliburton’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on HAL shares. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of Halliburton from $36.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Rothschild & Co Redburn lifted their price target on Halliburton from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $39.00 price target on shares of Halliburton in a report on Friday, February 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their target price on shares of Halliburton from $36.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Halliburton from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Halliburton has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $35.67.

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.