Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) Short Interest Update
by Jessica Moore · The Cerbat GemHalliburton Company (NYSE:HAL – Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 31,283,491 shares, a decline of 15.0% from the March 15th total of 36,815,095 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 19,851,547 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.6 days. Currently, 3.8% of the shares of the stock are short sold.
Halliburton Trading Down 2.6%
NYSE:HAL traded down $0.99 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $37.16. 15,323,287 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 15,677,070. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.01. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $19.22 and a fifty-two week high of $41.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $31.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.61, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 0.68.
Halliburton (NYSE:HAL – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $5.66 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.39 billion. Halliburton had a return on equity of 19.77% and a net margin of 5.78%.Halliburton’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.73 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Halliburton will post 2.64 earnings per share for the current year.
Halliburton Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 4th. Halliburton’s payout ratio is currently 45.03%.
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
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several brokerages have recently commented on HAL. Citigroup raised their target price on Halliburton from $38.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Halliburton from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Halliburton from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Susquehanna boosted their target price on Halliburton from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Halliburton in a research note on Friday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $37.81.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on Halliburton
Insider Activity at Halliburton
In other news, CEO Jeffrey Allen Miller sold 158,455 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $6,338,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,013,027 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $40,521,080. This represents a 13.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Margaret Katherine Banks sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, January 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.17, for a total value of $88,842.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 14,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $479,849.31. This trade represents a 15.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 415,508 shares of company stock worth $15,291,882 in the last quarter. 0.57% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in Halliburton by 81.8% in the third quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 91,030,451 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $2,239,349,000 after acquiring an additional 40,969,139 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Halliburton by 82,596.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 29,771,388 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $841,339,000 after acquiring an additional 29,735,387 shares during the period. Strive Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Halliburton in the third quarter valued at approximately $418,738,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Halliburton in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $169,304,000. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in Halliburton during the third quarter worth $147,315,000. 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.