Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP) Given Average Rating of "Hold" by Brokerages

Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the nine brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $38.57.

HP has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Helmerich & Payne from $41.00 to $33.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, September 13th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Helmerich & Payne from $44.00 to $41.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 15th. Benchmark restated a "hold" rating on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Helmerich & Payne from $39.00 to $36.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Helmerich & Payne

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC boosted its stake in Helmerich & Payne by 24.7% during the second quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,222 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 1,828 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 24.7% during the 2nd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 116,236 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,201,000 after purchasing an additional 23,025 shares in the last quarter. Cadence Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne in the 2nd quarter valued at about $303,000. Arizona State Retirement System increased its position in Helmerich & Payne by 1.3% in the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 27,667 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Savant Capital LLC increased its position in Helmerich & Payne by 24.2% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 23,138 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $836,000 after buying an additional 4,506 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.05% of the company's stock.

Helmerich & Payne Price Performance

Shares of NYSE HP traded down $0.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $30.76. 826,032 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,390,258. The company has a market cap of $3.04 billion, a PE ratio of 8.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 1.39. Helmerich & Payne has a twelve month low of $29.46 and a twelve month high of $44.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 2.67 and a quick ratio of 2.40. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $33.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $34.27.

Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 13th. The oil and gas company reported $0.76 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.76. Helmerich & Payne had a return on equity of 12.44% and a net margin of 12.48%. The firm had revenue of $693.79 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $695.99 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.69 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 5.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Helmerich & Payne will post 3.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Helmerich & Payne Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. Helmerich & Payne's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.07%.

Helmerich & Payne Company Profile

Founded in 1920, Helmerich & Payne, Inc (H&P) NYSE: HP is committed to delivering industry leading levels of drilling productivity and reliability. H&P operates with the highest level of integrity, safety and innovation to deliver superior results for its customers and returns for shareholders.