Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Reduces Holdings in Halliburton (NYSE:HAL)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP cut its position in Halliburton (NYSE:HAL) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 9,488,934 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock after selling 1,082,657 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Halliburton were worth $257,994,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HAL. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Halliburton by 48.2% in the 4th quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd now owns 71,797 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock valued at $1,931,000 after acquiring an additional 23,340 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in shares of Halliburton by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 278,934 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock worth $7,584,000 after buying an additional 42,876 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Halliburton by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 2,257,250 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock worth $61,375,000 after buying an additional 80,567 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. acquired a new position in Halliburton in the 4th quarter valued at about $621,000. Finally, Massachusetts Wealth Management lifted its position in Halliburton by 180.9% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Wealth Management now owns 43,675 shares of the oilfield services company’s stock worth $1,188,000 after acquiring an additional 28,125 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.23% of the company’s stock.

Halliburton Price Performance

HAL stock opened at $21.91 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.68, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 2.05. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $24.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.02. The firm has a market cap of $18.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.74, a PEG ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 1.45. Halliburton has a 1 year low of $18.72 and a 1 year high of $39.37.

Halliburton Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th were paid a $0.17 dividend. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 5th. Halliburton’s payout ratio is 24.03%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Timothy Mckeon sold 10,497 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.60, for a total transaction of $258,226.20. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 77,784 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,913,486.40. This trade represents a 11.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Eric Carre sold 141,206 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.13, for a total value of $3,689,712.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 127,101 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,321,149.13. This trade represents a 52.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 206,782 shares of company stock valued at $5,321,170 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.61% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on HAL shares. Raymond James lowered Halliburton from a “strong-buy” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Halliburton from $30.00 to $29.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Halliburton from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 2nd. Benchmark lowered their price objective on Halliburton from $40.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a “sector perform” rating and set a $34.00 target price on shares of Halliburton in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $36.95.

Halliburton Profile

Halliburton Company provides products and services to the energy industry worldwide. It operates through two segments, Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation. The Completion and Production segment offers production enhancement services that include stimulation and sand control services; cementing services, such as well bonding and casing, and casing equipment; and completion tools that offer downhole solutions and services, including well completion products and services, intelligent well completions, and service tools, as well as liner hanger, sand control, and multilateral systems.