Are Analysts Changing Recommendations for Halliburton?

In December so far, 90% of the analysts tracking Halliburton rated it a “buy” or some equivalent. Approximately 5% of the analysts tracking HAL have recommended a “hold,” while the remaining 5% have rated it a “sell” or some equivalent. In comparison, approximately 83% of analysts tracking Schlumberger (SLB) rated it a “buy” or some equivalent.

From September to December, the percentage of analysts recommending a “buy” or some equivalent for HAL has increased from 85% to 90%. Analysts’ “hold” and “sell” recommendations have fallen for HAL in the past four months. A year ago, ~78% of the sell-side analysts recommended a “buy” for HAL. Halliburton makes up 2.5% of the iShares North American Natural Resources ETF (IGE).

Wall Street analysts’ median target price for HAL on December 15 was $58. HAL is currently trading at ~$54, implying a ~9% downside at its current median price. A year ago, analysts’ average target price for HAL was $46.40.

The median target price among sell-side analysts for Fairmount Santrol Holdings (FMSA) is $10.57. FMSA is currently trading at ~$9.74, implying ~9% upside at its median price. The median target price among the sell-side analysts for Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN) is ~$25. PTEN is currently trading at ~$26.8, implying ~7% downside at its median price.

Learn more about the OFS industry in Market Realist’s The Oilfield Equipment and Services Industry: A Primer.