6 Green Days In A Row: Halliburton Stock Is Up 9.0%

HALYTD+29.8%SPYYTD+11.4%XLEYTD+58.8%
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Shares of Halliburton (HAL) have closed higher in each of the last 6 sessions, a cumulative gain of 9.0%. That added about $2.5 billion to the company’s market value, which now stands at about $30.1 billion. The stock closed at $36.17 on Friday, October 30, 15.1% below its 52-week high of $42.60 and 44.0% above its low of $25.11.

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How The Streak Stacks Up Against The S&P 500

Returns for HAL and the S&P 500 over the streak and the periods around it, all ending Friday, October 30 and including dividends:
 

Return Period HAL S&P 500
1 Day 0.8% -1.8%
6 Days (Current Streak) 9.0% -1.1%
1 Month (21 Trading Days) 13.5% -1.1%
3 Months (63 Trading Days) 13.9% 0.0%
Year To Date 29.8% 11.8%
1 Year (252 Trading Days) 34.3% 11.3%

A Stock-Specific Run, Or A Market Move?

The market explains little of this: the S&P 500 lost 1.1% over the same 6 sessions, including dividends, against Halliburton’s +9.0%. No other S&P 500 stock is currently on a winning streak of 6 days or longer. Over the past three months the stock is up 13.9%, a window that includes the streak; over the other 57 sessions of that window it was up 4.6%.

Do The Fundamentals Support The Run?

On the fundamentals, revenue grew 1.5% over the last twelve months, against a median of 11.7% for S&P 500 Energy stocks; its operating margin is 13.0%, versus a median of 22.9%; and the stock trades at 15.0 times trailing earnings against a median of 15.1. The read is mixed: a multiple below the median on one side, revenue growth below the median and margins below the median on the other.

If you are looking for strength with more behind it than a hot tape, our Guidance Momentum screen surfaces the names where management raised its own outlook.

For anyone who would rather back the theme than one company, an energy AlphaDEX ETF like FXN holds the whole group, not just this stock. It is still a concentrated bet on one theme, which is the gap the portfolio below is built to close.

Streaks End. Discipline Compounds

A run like this is genuinely useful information: something about this business has the market’s full attention. But streaks are where discipline gets tested, because the urge to chase strength is strongest right before it pauses.

The Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio channels that urge into a system: roughly 30 businesses selected for consistent cash generation, strong margins, and resilient balance sheets, sized and rebalanced with rules rather than excitement. It has a track record of outpacing a benchmark that combines the S&P 500, the S&P MidCap 400, and the Russell 2000. Enjoy the streak; own the process.