Virtu Financial LLC Invests $257,000 in Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor acquired 8,035 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $257,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Magnetar Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 389.3% during the 4th quarter. Magnetar Financial LLC now owns 38,754 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,241,000 after purchasing an additional 30,833 shares during the period. Xponance Inc. purchased a new position in Helmerich & Payne during the fourth quarter worth about $247,000. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Helmerich & Payne by 118.4% in the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 68,470 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,192,000 after buying an additional 37,125 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp purchased a new stake in Helmerich & Payne in the 4th quarter valued at about $290,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 22,239 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $712,000 after acquiring an additional 870 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.05% of the company’s stock.

Helmerich & Payne Price Performance

HP stock opened at $25.27 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $31.61. The firm has a market cap of $2.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.42. 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 $23.80 and a 1 year high of $44.11.

Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, equities analysts predict 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, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.96%. Helmerich & Payne’s dividend payout ratio is presently 32.89%.

Insider Transactions at Helmerich & Payne

In related news, Director Belgacem Chariag purchased 37,356 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $27.08 per share, with a total value of $1,011,600.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 54,606 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,478,730.48. The trade was a 216.56 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO John W. Lindsay acquired 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought 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 owns 691,214 shares in the company, valued at $19,042,945.70. This represents a 2.98 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 4.51% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on HP shares. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $27.00 target price on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a report on Thursday. Barclays dropped their price objective on Helmerich & Payne from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Argus upgraded Helmerich & Payne to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Citigroup upgraded Helmerich & Payne from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $33.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI reaffirmed an “in-line” rating and issued a $39.00 price objective (down from $48.00) on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Helmerich & Payne presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $36.11.

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.