Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Buys 53,277 Shares of Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP)

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,557,931 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 53,277 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 1.55% of Helmerich & Payne worth $49,885,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in HP. ARGA Investment Management LP raised its position in Helmerich & Payne by 42.5% in the fourth quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 2,686,215 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $86,013,000 after purchasing an additional 801,000 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in Helmerich & Payne by 27.7% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 1,522,144 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $48,739,000 after purchasing an additional 329,734 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 1,241.0% during the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 348,571 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $10,604,000 after buying an additional 322,578 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 18.0% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 1,161,286 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $35,326,000 after buying an additional 177,023 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its holdings in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 320.2% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 198,415 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,035,000 after buying an additional 151,196 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.05% of the company’s stock.

Helmerich & Payne Price Performance

Shares of HP stock opened at $24.78 on Friday. Helmerich & Payne, Inc. has a 52-week low of $23.80 and a 52-week high of $44.11. The stock has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a PE ratio of 8.15, a PEG 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. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $30.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $32.17.

Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP) last announced 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%. As a group, analysts forecast that Helmerich & Payne, Inc. will post 2.93 EPS for the current year.

Helmerich & Payne Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

HP has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a report on Thursday, November 21st. Argus raised shares of Helmerich & Payne to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 11th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Helmerich & Payne from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup raised shares of Helmerich & Payne from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $33.00 to $40.00 in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and set a $39.00 price target (down from $48.00) on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $37.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Helmerich & Payne

In other news, Director Belgacem Chariag bought 37,356 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $27.08 per share, for a total transaction of $1,011,600.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 54,606 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,478,730.48. This trade represents a 216.56 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO John W. Lindsay bought 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,042,945.70. This trade represents a 2.98 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 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.