Should You Buy Halliburton Co (HAL) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Buy
Latest Price
33.360
1 Day change
-2.63%
52 Week Range
35.550
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/28
BUY for a long-term investor right now. HAL just pulled back to the low-$33 area after strong Q4 results and a wave of price-target raises. Technically the trend is still bullish (stacked moving averages), and Wall Street’s updated 2026 outlook points to improving international activity with optional upside (Venezuela). Near-term sentiment is mixed (put-heavy option volume and notable insider selling), but for a beginner with a long-term horizon and $50k–$100k to deploy, the current dip offers a reasonable entry rather than waiting for a “perfect” level.
Technical Analysis
Trend/structure: Bullish moving-average stack (SMA_5 > SMA_20 > SMA_200) signals an established uptrend despite today’s -2.63% drop to 33.30.
Momentum: RSI(6)=54.4 (neutral—no overbought/oversold edge). MACD histogram is positive (0.0329) but contracting, suggesting upside momentum is slowing short term.
Levels: Pivot=33.577 (price is slightly below pivot, a near-term bearish tilt). Support S1=32.166 then S2=31.293. Resistance R1=34.988 then R2=35.861. Practical read: the bigger trend is up, but the stock may chop/soften until it reclaims ~33.6–35.0.
Options Data
Neutral
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bearish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Positioning: Open-interest put/call ~1.01 is roughly balanced (not extreme fear/greed).
Flow/sentiment: Put/call volume ratio 2.11 is bearish for the day—more traders are buying puts than calls.
Volatility: 30D IV ~37.1 vs historical vol ~48.1; IV percentile ~50.8 (middle of the range). Net: options market is not panicking on OI, but near-term trading flow is defensive (put-heavy), which aligns with a potential short-term dip/chop even if the longer trend remains constructive.
Technical Summary
Sell
2
Buy
8
Positive Catalysts
Event/catalyst: Launch of the S$35M NEX Lab in Singapore (technology + talent development) supports long-term competitiveness.
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
Insider selling spike: insiders selling increased 4980.50% over the last month; specific news: officer Jeffery Allen planning to sell ~171.2K shares (~$5.99M).
Options tape is near-term bearish (put-heavy volume).
Model-based near-term downside bias from similar-pattern analysis: projected -1.35% next week and -7.37% next month (suggests the pullback can extend before the next leg higher).
Financial Performance
Latest quarter: 2025/Q4. Revenue rose to $5.657B (+0.84% YoY), indicating modest top-line growth.
Profitability: Net income fell to $589M (-4.23% YoY) while EPS was $0.70 (flat YoY), implying growth is currently more incremental than explosive.
Overall: Fundamentals look stable with mild growth; the bullish case relies on continued execution/margins and a 2026 re-acceleration (especially international/Venezuela optionality) rather than strong YoY growth in the most recent quarter.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Recent trend: Strongly positive—multiple banks raised price targets immediately after Q4 (Goldman to $40 Buy, Susquehanna to $40 Positive, Citi to $38 Buy, RBC to $38 Outperform, JPMorgan to $35 Overweight, Stifel to $36 Buy). A couple remain neutral/in-line (UBS Neutral $35; Evercore In Line $36; BMO Market Perform $39).
Wall Street pros: improving international rate of change into 2026, margin/FCF execution narrative, and potential upside from Venezuela exposure.
Wall Street cons: debate around U.S. onshore trough timing and visibility; some firms keep Neutral/In Line ratings despite higher targets, implying upside but not a “no-brainer” setup.
Influential/politician activity: No recent Congress trading data available; no politician buys/sells provided.
Wall Street analysts forecast HAL stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for HAL is 32.31 USD with a low forecast of 28 USD and a high forecast of 39 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
18 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast HAL stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for HAL is 32.31 USD with a low forecast of 28 USD and a high forecast of 39 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
12 Buy
6 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 34.260
Low
28
Averages
32.31
High
39
Current: 34.260
Low
28
Averages
32.31
High
39
BMO Capital
Market Perform
maintain
$36 -> $39
AI Analysis
2026-01-23
Reason
BMO Capital
Price Target
$36 -> $39
AI Analysis
2026-01-23
maintain
Market Perform
Reason
BMO Capital raised the firm's price target on Halliburton to $39 from $36 and keeps a Market Perform rating on the shares after its Q4 earnings beat. The firm is revising its estimates following the company's strong Q4 results and incorporating the management's Q1 and 2026 outlook, the analyst tells investors in a research note. North America activity has likely bottomed, though the firm expects year over-year international growth to resume in 2026, BMO added.
UBS
Neutral
maintain
$32 -> $35
2026-01-23
Reason
UBS
Price Target
$32 -> $35
2026-01-23
maintain
Neutral
Reason
UBS raised the firm's price target on Halliburton to $35 from $32 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares. Signs of tailwinds are emerging, the analyst tells investors in a research note following the Q4 earnings report.
Unlock Full Analyst Thesis， Get the complete breakdown of rating reason for HAL
