Sprott Inc. Buys 10,800 Shares of Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP)

Sprott Inc. grew its stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 593,069 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 10,800 shares during the period. Helmerich & Payne accounts for 1.1% of Sprott Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Sprott Inc. owned 0.59% of Helmerich & Payne worth $18,990,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Helmerich & Payne by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,121,742 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $35,918,000 after purchasing an additional 77,099 shares in the last quarter. Capital Investment Counsel Inc boosted its holdings in Helmerich & Payne by 4.4% in the fourth quarter. Capital Investment Counsel Inc now owns 80,630 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,582,000 after purchasing an additional 3,405 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in Helmerich & Payne in the fourth quarter worth $291,000. Keene & Associates Inc. boosted its holdings in Helmerich & Payne by 31.3% in the fourth quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. now owns 10,140 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 2,415 shares in the last quarter. Finally, New York State Common Retirement Fund boosted its holdings in Helmerich & Payne by 16.8% in the fourth quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 863,149 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $27,638,000 after purchasing an additional 124,103 shares in the last quarter. 96.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Helmerich & Payne Stock Performance

Shares of HP traded up $0.09 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $26.46. 1,653,690 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,708,807. The stock's fifty day moving average is $31.12 and its 200 day moving average is $32.65. The stock has a market cap of $2.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a current ratio of 2.81. Helmerich & Payne, Inc. has a 1-year low of $25.69 and a 1-year high of $44.11.

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

Helmerich & Payne Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Helmerich & Payne's dividend payout ratio is 32.89%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on HP. Benchmark reissued a "hold" rating on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. Argus raised shares of Helmerich & Payne to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. 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 for the company in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Helmerich & Payne from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an "in-line" rating and set a $39.00 target price (down previously from $48.00) on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Helmerich & Payne has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $37.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Helmerich & Payne

In other news, CEO John W. Lindsay bought 20,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was bought at an average price of $27.55 per share, for a total transaction of $551,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Belgacem Chariag purchased 37,356 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $27.08 per share, for a total transaction of $1,011,600.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 54,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,478,730.48. The trade was a 216.56 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 4.51% of the company's stock.

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.