Halliburton Company Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (HAL)

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of B . The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its robust revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, notable return on equity and attractive valuation levels. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• HAL's revenue growth has slightly outpaced the industry average of 13.3%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 21.9%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displaying stagnant earnings per share.
• The current debt-to-equity ratio, 0.33, is low and is below the industry average, implying that there has been successful management of debt levels. To add to this, HAL has a quick ratio of 1.78, which demonstrates the ability of the company to cover short-term liquidity needs.
• The return on equity has improved slightly when compared to the same quarter one year prior. This can be construed as a modest strength in the organization. Compared to other companies in the Energy Equipment & Services industry and the overall market, HALLIBURTON CO's return on equity exceeds that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.
• HALLIBURTON CO reported flat earnings per share in the most recent quarter. This company has reported somewhat volatile earnings recently. We feel it is likely to report a decline in earnings in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, HALLIBURTON CO increased its bottom line by earning $3.26 versus $1.96 in the prior year. For the next year, the market is expecting a contraction of 4.6% in earnings ($3.11 versus $3.26).

Halliburton Company provides various products and services to the energy industry for exploring, developing, and producing oil and natural gas worldwide. It operates in two segments, Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation. The company has a P/E ratio of 10, below the average energy industry P/E ratio of 10.6 and below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Halliburton has a market cap of $31.4 billion and is part of the basic materials sector and energy industry. Shares are up 0.1% year to date as of the close of trading on Tuesday.

You can view the full Halliburton Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.

--Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff.

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