Hold Onto Halliburton - Analyst Blog
07 Janeiro 2013 - 12:21PM
Zacks
Ahead of Halliburton Company’s (HAL)
fourth-quarter results, we are maintaining our Neutral
recommendation on the oilfield services behemoth.
Houston, Texas-based Halliburton is one of the largest oilfield
service providers in the world, offering a variety of equipment,
maintenance and engineering and construction services to the
energy, industrial and government sectors. The company operates
under two main segments: Completion and Production, and Drilling
and Evaluation.
Halliburton recently reported in-line September quarter results, as
higher activity in the international markets was offset by cost
inflation. The company’s earnings per share from continuing
operations (excluding special items) came in at 67 cents, matching
the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
However, per share adjusted profits came sharply lower than the
third quarter 2011 level of 94 cents (excluding an asset impairment
charge) amid sluggish activity in its core North American
operations. In particular, Halliburton continues to be plagued by a
host of issues in this region, including a spike in the costs for
guar gums, and Hurricane Isaac-related shutdowns.
However, the world's second-largest oilfield services firm after
Schlumberger Limited (SLB) is enjoying strong
demand for its services in international markets and expects the
trend to continue in the coming years. We have identified Latin
America – offering enough shale development opportunities – as the
important market in this regard.
Additionally, the company, which is scheduled to report fourth
quarter and year-end 2012 results on January 25, remains in
excellent financial health with some $2.0 billion in cash and a
debt-to-capitalization ratio of around 24%. This helps Halliburton
to capitalize on investment opportunities and offers options to
make strategic acquisitions, thereby further improving growth
visibility. Halliburton’s inexpensive valuation provides further
support.
Considering these factors, we see the shares of Halliburton
performing in line with the broader market. Our long-term Neutral
recommendation is supported by a Zacks #3 Rank (short-term Hold
rating).
HALLIBURTON CO (HAL): Free Stock Analysis Report
SCHLUMBERGER LT (SLB): Free Stock Analysis Report
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