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 revenue growth, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, notable return on equity and increase in stock price during the past year. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had sub par growth in net income.

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Highlights from the ratings report include:

• Despite its growing revenue, the company underperformed as compared with the industry average of 11.1%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues slightly increased by 8.6%. This growth in revenue does not appear to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, displayed by a decline in earnings per share.
• The current debt-to-equity ratio, 0.32, 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 1.72, which demonstrates the ability of the company to cover short-term liquidity needs.
• The company's current return on equity has slightly decreased from the same quarter one year prior. This implies a minor weakness 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.
• In its most recent trading session, HAL has closed at a price level that was not very different from its closing price of one year earlier. This is probably due to its weak earnings growth as well as other mixed factors. Turning our attention to the future direction of the stock, it goes without saying that even the best stocks can fall in an overall down market. However, in any other environment, this stock still has good upside potential despite the fact that it has already risen in the past year.
• HALLIBURTON CO's earnings per share declined by 29.3% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. 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 8.9% in earnings ($2.97 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. Halliburton has a market cap of $34.24 billion and is part of the basic materials sector and energy industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 11.8, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 5.6% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.

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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