Swiss National Bank Purchases 1,500 Shares of Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP)

Swiss National Bank raised its position in Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP) by 0.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 194,300 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Helmerich & Payne were worth $6,221,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Helmerich & Payne in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Helmerich & Payne during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $48,000. Steph & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $87,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Helmerich & Payne by 82.5% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,805 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $88,000 after buying an additional 1,268 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 143.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 3,703 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $113,000 after acquiring an additional 2,181 shares during the last quarter. 96.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Helmerich & Payne from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and set a $39.00 price target (down previously from $48.00) on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Argus raised Helmerich & Payne to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup raised Helmerich & Payne from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $33.00 to $40.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Helmerich & Payne from $41.00 to $35.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. One equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.25.

Helmerich & Payne Stock Performance

NYSE:HP opened at $24.78 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $29.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $31.80. The stock has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.15, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.42. Helmerich & Payne, Inc. has a 1-year low of $23.80 and a 1-year high of $44.11. The company has a current ratio of 2.81, a quick ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

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

Helmerich & Payne Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.04%. Helmerich & Payne’s payout ratio is presently 32.89%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Belgacem Chariag bought 37,356 shares of Helmerich & Payne stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $27.08 per share, with a total value of $1,011,600.48. Following the acquisition, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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, for a total transaction of $551,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 691,214 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,042,945.70. This trade represents a 2.98 % 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.