Helmerich & Payne initiated with a Neutral at Piper Sandler

Piper Sandler initiated coverage of Helmerich & Payne with a Neutral rating and $20 price target Piper rolled out coverage of 13 Smid-cap oilfield services stocks. The firm sees a challenging backdrop for U.S. land, saying oil prices remain below $70 per barrel due to tariffs and production hikes. The analyst expects a “persistent negative rate-of-change envinrment” for the rest of 2025 with the U.S. land rig count falling to 500 from 522 today. This will create pressure on frac activity and proppant pricing, the analyst tells investors in a research note.