Sei Investments Co. Buys 1,357 Shares of Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP)

Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Helmerich & Payne, Inc. (NYSE:HP) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 33,116 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,357 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Helmerich & Payne were worth $1,060,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of HP. Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in Helmerich & Payne by 67.9% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 13,957 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $425,000 after purchasing an additional 5,642 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 510.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 140,655 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,279,000 after purchasing an additional 117,624 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 110.3% in the third quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 22,341 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $680,000 after purchasing an additional 11,719 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of Helmerich & Payne by 9.6% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 74,590 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,269,000 after buying an additional 6,508 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Helmerich & Payne during the 3rd quarter valued at $48,000. 96.05% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Helmerich & Payne Trading Up 1.1 %

HP opened at $20.04 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a PE ratio of 6.59, a PEG ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50 day moving average of $26.61 and a 200-day moving average of $31.31. Helmerich & Payne, Inc. has a 52 week low of $18.59 and a 52 week high of $44.11. The company has a quick ratio of 2.52, a current ratio of 2.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60.

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 11.31% and a net margin of 11.02%. Equities research analysts predict that Helmerich & Payne, Inc. will post 2.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Helmerich & Payne Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Helmerich & Payne’s payout ratio is currently 32.89%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on HP shares. Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and issued a $39.00 price target (down previously from $48.00) on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Citigroup raised Helmerich & Payne from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $33.00 to $40.00 in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and set a $27.00 price target on shares of Helmerich & Payne in a research report on Thursday, March 27th. Barclays cut their price objective on Helmerich & Payne from $36.00 to $24.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Helmerich & Payne from $41.00 to $35.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $36.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Belgacem Chariag purchased 37,356 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $27.08 per share, with a total value of $1,011,600.48. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 54,606 shares in the company, valued at $1,478,730.48. This trade represents a 216.56 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO John W. Lindsay purchased 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 purchase, 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.

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.