Halliburton Company $HAL Shares Sold by Leonteq Securities AG

Leonteq Securities AG decreased its holdings in Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) by 83.8% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 28,432 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock after selling 146,725 shares during the quarter. Leonteq Securities AG’s holdings in Halliburton were worth $1,109,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in HAL. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund purchased a new stake in Halliburton during the 1st quarter worth approximately $7,256,000. Proathlete Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Halliburton during the 1st quarter worth approximately $64,000. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Halliburton by 17.2% in the 1st quarter. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC now owns 26,781 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $1,044,000 after buying an additional 3,937 shares during the period. Strs Ohio boosted its position in Halliburton by 80.9% in the 1st quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 759,374 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $29,608,000 after buying an additional 339,670 shares during the period. Finally, Keybank National Association OH grew its stake in shares of Halliburton by 26.8% in the first quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 14,211 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock worth $554,000 after acquiring an additional 3,006 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.23% of the company’s stock.

Halliburton Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:HAL opened at $32.98 on Friday. Halliburton Company has a 52 week low of $20.17 and a 52 week high of $43.59. The company’s 50 day moving average is $38.90 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.80. The company has a market cap of $27.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a current ratio of 2.08, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 21st. The oilfield services company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $5.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.37 billion. Halliburton had a net margin of 6.95% and a return on equity of 19.04%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Halliburton Company will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Halliburton Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, June 3rd were paid a $0.17 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, June 3rd. This represents a $0.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Halliburton’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.36%.

Insider Activity at Halliburton

In other news, insider Michael Casey Maxwell sold 20,348 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.89, for a total value of $852,377.72. Following the transaction, the insider owned 93,763 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,927,732.07. This represents a 17.83% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Van H. Beckwith sold 198,349 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.29, for a total value of $8,189,830.21. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 146,186 shares in the company, valued at $6,036,019.94. This trade represents a 57.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 258,255 shares of company stock worth $10,550,535 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.57% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn upped their price objective on Halliburton from $40.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Zephirin Group lifted their target price on Halliburton from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays raised Halliburton from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $37.00 to $55.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Halliburton from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 3rd. Finally, Griffin Securities raised Halliburton from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $47.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Eighteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.32.

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.