Halliburton Company

Halliburton delivered a standout fourth quarter, posting adjusted earnings of $0.69 per diluted share against a consensus estimate of $0.46, a beat of 49.12%, while revenue of $5.70 billion topped expectations by 5.60% and edged 1.6% higher year over year. The quarter's strong showing was aided by an $86 million discrete tax benefit tied to a Foreign-Derived Intangible Income deduction from a royalty prepayment, which meaningfully lifted after-tax results and marked a sharp recovery from the prior quarter's charges-laden $0.02 GAAP EPS. International operations proved a particular bright spot, with international revenue climbing 7% sequentially to $3.50 billion, led by double-digit growth in Europe, Africa, and CIS. North America softened 7% sequentially to $2.20 billion on lower stimulation activity, though CEO Jeff Miller noted that the region would be among the first to benefit when macro fundamentals improve. Analysts tracking the stock have maintained a moderate buy consensus, reflecting continued confidence in the company's technology adoption and shareholder return commitments, with Halliburton having returned 85% of full-year free cash flow through buybacks and dividends.