HELMERICH & PAYNE INC (HP)
Energy · Contract Drilling Services · NYSE
A leading global land drilling contractor specializing in high-performance rigs for oil and gas exploration.
What HELMERICH & PAYNE INC does
Helmerich & Payne is a contract drilling company that provides land-based drilling services for oil and gas exploration and production companies. The company operates a fleet of high-specification, technologically advanced drilling rigs primarily across North America, as well as in select international markets.
Themes: oil and gas drilling, energy infrastructure, drilling automation
Fundamentals
- Price$43.55 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$4.4B as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return+142.9% 2025-08-21 close $17.93 → 2026-08-21 close $43.55
- P/En/a negative earnings
- Net margin-3.4% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+28.8% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE-5.3% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity0.72 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)+16.6% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+22.1% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.68 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-08-05 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +2.7%; 3-year non-decreasing per-share dividend streak (SEC XBRL).
How HP compares in its sector
- net profit marginbottom 25% 149 covered Energy peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating marginmiddle range 149 covered Energy peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross marginmiddle range 142 covered Energy peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitybottom 25% 152 covered Energy peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRtop 25% 138 covered Energy peers
- indicated dividend yieldmiddle range 98 covered Energy peers, as of 2026-08-24
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 95 covered Energy peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Energy companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Top 10 scores & list membership
HP is not currently in any published Top 10 list. Its scores are below.
Long-term score
59.6 #193 of 987 scored · #23 of 64 in Energy
Valuation 98th (price to book 0.8) and long-term trend 90th (over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 122.4 percentage points); weakest is profitability (7th, return on equity -5.2%, operating margin 2.3%).
Short-term score
56.7 #381 of 1,704 scored · #26 of 86 in Energy
Trend 86th: a strong uptrend, with buyers in control; momentum 61st: MACD momentum is positive; weakest is setup 23rd: day-to-day price swings are unusually wide versus its own recent history (wider than about 99% of the past ~6 months).
Scores as of 21 Aug 2026. Each bar is a percentile: how this company ranked against every company the score ranked, 0–100. A list is a published formula and its output, not a recommendation. Method version 2.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Covered by reported results. In FY2025, HP's dividend was covered by reported results (free-cash-flow payout 86%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payoutnot assessable earnings were not positive that year
- Free-cash-flow payout86% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How HELMERICH & PAYNE INC looks technically
HELMERICH & PAYNE INC (HP) is trading 27.5% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 202 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal. A strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 38, with buyers in control. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 70, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). It made a new 20-day high about 5 trading days ago. It is 3.0% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year).
Trend
9
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 27.5% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +27.5% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $36.17 | $36.17 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $34.16 | $34.16 |
| Swing structure | its recent peaks and dips disagree — one of them is rising while the other is not, so there is no clean up or down pattern in the swings | mixed — one of the two is not confirming |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 24 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 24 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a completed five-part downward sequence — the pattern Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — which on that reading would now be due a pullback rather than more of the same; the labelling fails if price closes below 32.575. It is the only labelling that fits, though not with textbook proportions, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. | possible five-wave downward sequence, complete (atypical proportions) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed above its 200-day average about 202 trading days ago — a "golden cross", a bullish long-term signal | 202 sessions |
| Above the 200-day after a dip | it recently dipped to its 200-day average (the long-term trend line) and has since climbed back above it — now about 27.5% above | +27.5% |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 38, with buyers in control | 37.8 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 70, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 69.8 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading near the top of its 14-day range ($33.28 to $44.90) — its "stochastic" reading is 88 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been slipping within that range over the last few sessions. | 88.4 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, is in positive territory (momentum leaning bullish) | 31 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $44.90 | $44.90 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 3.0% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -3.0% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 151.7% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +151.7% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 3.0% below its highest point of the past year | 3.0% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it made a new 20-day high about 5 trading days ago | 5 sessions |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it made a new 55-day high about 5 trading days ago | 5 sessions |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $118.95 (set on 2014-07-02) | $118.95 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($17.59 to $44.72), and it has given back only a small part of its rise from last year’s low — 4% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket" — for this company that is $27.09 to $27.95. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 4.3% |
| From the all-time high | it is 63.4% below its all-time high | -63.4% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 4.1% above a support level at $41.75 — a price it turned at twice since 2026-05-05, most recently on 2026-05-19. Since 2024-08-21 it has 14 such levels below the current price and 0 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -4.1% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $12.40 (set on 2020-03-19) | $12.40 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 251.2% above its all-time low | +251.2% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are unusually wide versus its own recent history (wider than about 99% of the past ~6 months) | 99th percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $1.47 between its high and its low — about 3.4% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $1.47 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $29.66 and $48.30 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $29.66 – $38.98 – $48.30 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 3.4% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 3.4% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 6.4 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (27.5% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 6.4 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.85× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts have raised their average price target by 3.4% since the prior reading | +3.4% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
1
| Since a doji | 1 session ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 1 session ago |
|---|
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 0.5% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | +0.5% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 2.8% above the previous close 9 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 37.1 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | +2.8% |
| Gap filled | a 2.1% gap down opened on 2026-08-03 has been "filled" 13 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 1 session to close | 13 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed lower in its latest session, after a session that did not close lower — a single down day rather than a run | 1 session down |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 23.6 percentage points (the stock gained 25.9% while the market gained 2.3%) | +23.6% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 6.9 percentage points (the stock gained 9.9% while the market gained 3.1%) | +6.8% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock beat the market by 11.2 percentage points (the stock gained 22.2% while the market gained 11.1%) | +11.2% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock beat the market by 122.4 percentage points (the stock gained 142.9% while the market gained 20.5%) | +122.4% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 6 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a strong uptrend, with buyers in control, a "golden cross" — its 50-day average is above its 200-day, trading above its 200-day average, MACD momentum is positive, outperforming the market over 6 months, trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 6 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 1 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it is currently in a bearish state: near the top of its 14-day range (overbought) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 1 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 21% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established uptrend, with the band below acting as the level that would have to give way. The band itself is moderate, spanning 5.0% of the share price. | +20.6% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 22% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $35.75 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 157 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +21.8% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 5% above the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-08-05 (its 8-K), so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $41.43 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 13 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +5.1% |
Price levels it has turned at before
HP last closed at $43.55 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 14 prices below its last close and 0 above; the 3 nearest below are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $41.75 | Support | 4.1% below the last close | turned there twice · 2026-05-05 to 2026-05-19 |
| $37.54 | Support | 13.8% below the last close | turned there three times · 2024-11-06 to 2026-03-24 |
| $36.71 | Support | 15.7% below the last close | turned there four times · 2024-10-14 to 2026-05-28 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a five-part downward sequence — what Elliott-wave chartists call an impulse — now complete.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes below $32.58.
It is the only labelling that fits these swings, though its proportions are not the textbook ones. It was chosen from 4 labellings that survived the rules, counting shorter readings of the same bars.
This labelling was already in place when we began recording count changes on 2026-08-13, so how long it has stood is not something we can say yet.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · Tested and reclaimed 200-day support · in a strong, established uptrend (ADX) · Analyst price target recently RAISED · beating the market · Stretched far above its 200-day average (6+ daily ranges) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingBuy (2.50 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 15 analysts
- Mean price target$42.93 range $30.00 – $50.00; median $44.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-21. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for HP
- Consensus EPS estimate$0.1866 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-21
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Cyclical nature of the oil and gas industry and volatility in commodity prices","Risks associated with international operations and political instability","Highly competitive market that can impact day rates and rig utilization"]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of HP's 10-Q filed 2026-05-07 against the prior one filed 2026-02-05.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Added language in geopolitical risk factor: 'the military conflict with Iran and the associated disruption to the Strait of Hormuz, other conflicts in the Middle East' (filed 2026-05-07)
- Added reference to page number 'Q2 FY26 FORM 10-Q | 31' (filed 2026-05-07)
- Removed:
- Removed language from geopolitical risk factor: 'recent shifts in Venezuela's political landscape' (was in filed 2026-02-05)
- Removed reference to 'conflicts in the Middle East' (simplified to 'other conflicts in the Middle East' in newer version)
- Removed reference to page number 'Q1 FY26 FORM 10-Q | 29' (filed 2026-02-05)
- Reworded:
- Changed reporting date from 'December 31, 2025' to 'March 31, 2026' in Executive Summary
- Changed total drilling rig fleet from '338 drilling rigs' to '337 drilling rigs'
- Changed International Solutions segment rigs from '131 rigs' to '130 rigs'
- Changed active contracted rigs from '201' to '204'
- Changed fixed-term contract rigs from '127' to '138'
- Changed well-to-well rigs from '74' to '66'
- Changed fiscal quarter reference from 'first quarter of fiscal year 2026' to 'second quarter of fiscal year 2026'
- Notes:
- Executive Summary section appears truncated in both versions; comparison limited to available text
- Geopolitical risk factor wording modified to reference Iran conflict and Strait of Hormuz disruption while removing Venezuela reference
Risk Factors
The two filings could not be meaningfully compared for this section.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
0 open-market purchases and 1 open-market sale by insiders in the last 90 days.
- Last 90 days0 buys · 1 sell ($175000) — 1 selling insider
- Last 180 days0 buys · 3 sells ($4M) — 2 selling insiders
Activity heuristic: net selling (a transparent product heuristic from the counts above, not a prediction or advice)
Most recent open-market transaction: 2026-07-22. As of 2026-08-24.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsAsk about HP's insider activity →
Only open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
6 institutional 13F filers reported holding HP as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 6
- Reported shares held 23,405,839
- Reported value $843,312,382
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 1 new, 4 increased, 1 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
HP had 8,375,555 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
HP had 8.38% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 9.02 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 8,375,555
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 8.38%
- Prior settlement (shares) 8,810,766
- Reported change -4.94%
- Days to cover (reported) 9.02
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- Precision Drilling (PDS)
- Nabors Industries (NBR)
- Patterson-UTI Energy (PTEN)
- ChampionX (CHX)
- NOV (NOV)
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does HELMERICH & PAYNE INC (HP) do?
Helmerich & Payne is a contract drilling company that provides land-based drilling services for oil and gas exploration and production companies. The company operates a fleet of high-specification, technologically advanced drilling rigs primarily across North America, as well as in select international markets.
What sector is HELMERICH & PAYNE INC (HP) in?
HELMERICH & PAYNE INC (HP) is classified in the Energy sector. Its industry is Contract Drilling Services. It trades on NYSE.
Does HP pay a dividend?
Yes — HELMERICH & PAYNE INC (HP) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 2.66% and 3-year non-decreasing per-share dividend streak (SEC EDGAR XBRL) (market data, as of 2026-08-24). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are HELMERICH & PAYNE INC's (HP) competitors?
Notable peers of HELMERICH & PAYNE INC (HP) include Precision Drilling, Nabors Industries, Patterson-UTI Energy, ChampionX and NOV. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is HELMERICH & PAYNE INC (HP) overbought or oversold right now?
HELMERICH & PAYNE INC (HP) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 70, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on HP come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.