Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP) Trading 4.8% Higher - Should You Buy?

Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP - Get Free Report) was up 4.8% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $27.56 and last traded at $27.51. Approximately 1,073,569 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 35% from the average daily volume of 1,650,215 shares. The stock had previously closed at $26.25.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on HP. Evercore ISI reiterated an "in-line" rating and issued a $39.00 price objective (down previously from $48.00) on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Citigroup upgraded Helmerich & Payne from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $33.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Helmerich & Payne from $41.00 to $35.00 and set a "sector perform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Helmerich & Payne to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $37.25.

Helmerich & Payne Stock Up 2.2 %

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $31.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $32.75. The company has a quick ratio of 2.52, a current ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 8.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.37.

Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.69 by $0.02. Helmerich & Payne had a return on equity of 11.31% and a net margin of 11.02%. Analysts anticipate that Helmerich & Payne, Inc. will post 2.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Helmerich & Payne Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.75%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Helmerich & Payne's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Belgacem Chariag acquired 37,356 shares of Helmerich & Payne stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $27.08 per share, for a total transaction of $1,011,600.48. Following the purchase, the director now owns 54,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,478,730.48. This trade represents a 216.56 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO John W. Lindsay bought 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $27.55 per share, with a total value of $551,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 691,214 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,042,945.70. The trade was a 2.98 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 4.51% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Helmerich & Payne

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Summit Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 10,113 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $324,000 after buying an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in Helmerich & Payne by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 21,763 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $697,000 after acquiring an additional 408 shares during the period. Napatree Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Napatree Capital LLC now owns 20,847 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $668,000 after acquiring an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 20.3% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,130 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $95,000 after acquiring an additional 529 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 76.9% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,479 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares during the period. 96.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Helmerich & Payne

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.