KBC Group NV Acquires 1,769 Shares of Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP)

KBC Group NV grew its holdings in Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP) by 56.5% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 4,899 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,769 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Helmerich & Payne were worth $157,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of HP. Covestor Ltd grew its stake in Helmerich & Payne by 76.9% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,479 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 643 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Helmerich & Payne by 127.8% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,522 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 854 shares during the period. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Helmerich & Payne during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of Helmerich & Payne during the 3rd quarter valued at $61,000. Finally, Steph & Co. bought a new position in shares of Helmerich & Payne in the fourth quarter worth $87,000. 96.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Helmerich & Payne Trading Down 16.1 %

HP opened at $27.85 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.40, a current ratio of 2.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. Helmerich & Payne, Inc. has a 52 week low of $27.56 and a 52 week high of $44.11. The stock has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a PE ratio of 8.10, a PEG ratio of 3.88 and a beta of 1.37. The business has a 50 day moving average of $33.27 and a 200-day moving average of $33.81.

Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The oil and gas company reported $0.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.69 by $0.02. Helmerich & Payne had a return on equity of 12.44% and a net margin of 12.48%. Equities research analysts predict that Helmerich & Payne, Inc. will post 3.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Helmerich & Payne Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.59%. Helmerich & Payne’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.07%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on HP. Barclays lowered their price target 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. Benchmark reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research report on Thursday, November 21st. 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 for the company in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Helmerich & Payne from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $33.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI reiterated an “in-line” rating and issued a $39.00 target price (down from $48.00) on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $39.50.

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.