<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totaling 30,820,204 shares,  a drop of 23.2% from the November 30th total of 40,135,544 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 7,873,259 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days. Currently, 8.3% of the company's shares are short sold. Currently, 8.3% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 7,873,259 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days.</p><div><p><span></span><span>Get <strong>Patterson-UTI Energy</strong> alerts:</span></p></div><h2>Analysts Set New Price Targets</h2><ul><li>Oil Shorts Are Crowded, 3 Names That Could Bring on a Squeeze</li></ul><p>Several brokerages have issued reports on PTEN. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of Patterson-UTI Energy from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a &#34;positive&#34; rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Weiss Ratings  restated a &#34;sell (d-)&#34; rating on shares of Patterson-UTI Energy in a research report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase &amp; Co.  reissued an &#34;underweight&#34; rating and set a $6.00 price target (down previously from $7.00) on shares of Patterson-UTI Energy in a research note on Wednesday, December 10th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Patterson-UTI Energy from a &#34;strong sell&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Finally, Tudor Pickering cut shares of Patterson-UTI Energy from a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued  a Hold rating and two have assigned  a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company  has an average rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average price target of $7.28.</p><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Patterson-UTI Energy</b></p><h2>Insider Activity at Patterson-UTI Energy</h2><ul><li>Why Goldman Sachs Just Upgraded These 3 Stocks and What It Means</li></ul><p>In related news, Director James Carl Stewart sold 368,254 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $5.87, for a total transaction of $2,161,650.98. Following the transaction, the director owned 207,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,215,090. This represents a 64.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities &amp; Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. </p><h2>Institutional Trading of Patterson-UTI Energy</h2><p>A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PTEN. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in  Patterson-UTI Energy by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 17,000,602 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $88,065,000 after acquiring an additional 304,718 shares during the period.  American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of  Patterson-UTI Energy by 7.9% during the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 15,599,294 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $80,804,000 after buying an additional 1,135,704 shares during the period.  Sourcerock Group LLC lifted its position in shares of  Patterson-UTI Energy by 109.2% in the second quarter. Sourcerock Group LLC now owns 13,803,775 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $81,856,000 after purchasing an additional 7,205,652 shares in the last quarter.  ARGA Investment Management LP increased its position in shares of  Patterson-UTI Energy by 3.5% in the second quarter. ARGA Investment Management LP now owns 13,238,092 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $78,502,000 after acquiring an additional 453,519 shares during the last quarter.  Finally, Holocene Advisors LP raised its position in  Patterson-UTI Energy by 176.6% during the third quarter. Holocene Advisors LP now owns 9,228,022 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $47,801,000 after acquiring an additional 5,891,956 shares in the last quarter. 97.91% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. </p><h2>Patterson-UTI Energy Price Performance</h2><ul><li>Is NexTier-Patterson UTI Deal A Sign Of More Consolidation Ahead?</li></ul><p>Patterson-UTI Energy stock traded up $0.15 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $6.08. 9,858,817 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,403,577. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $6.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $5.89. The firm has a market cap of $2.31 billion, a P/E ratio of -16.89 and a beta of 0.77. Patterson-UTI Energy has a 1-year low of $5.10 and a 1-year high of $9.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. </p><p>Patterson-UTI Energy (NASDAQ:PTEN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, March 21st. The oil and gas company reported ($0.38) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $191.70 million for the quarter. Patterson-UTI Energy had a negative return on equity of 2.65% and a negative net margin of 2.81%. As a group, analysts forecast that  Patterson-UTI Energy will post -0.1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. </p><h2>Patterson-UTI Energy Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were issued a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Patterson-UTI Energy's payout ratio is -88.89%. </p><h2>About Patterson-UTI Energy</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>Patterson-UTI Energy provides a comprehensive suite of onshore contract drilling and pressure pumping services to exploration and production companies in North America. The company's core offerings include land-based drilling rigs, directional drilling, hydraulic fracturing services, downhole tool rental and well-servicing equipment. By integrating drilling and completion capabilities, Patterson-UTI Energy offers operators a streamlined solution designed to improve operational efficiency and well performance.  </p><p>Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Patterson-UTI Energy traces its origins to its founding in 1978 and was later incorporated in Delaware in 1996.</p><h2>Further Reading</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Patterson-UTI Energy</li><li>Trump's NEW Executive Order - BIG Changes Coming to Retirement Accounts</li><li>Bombshell Exposé on China Strikes</li><li>Wall Street Stockpicker Names #1 Stock of 2026</li><li>Do not delete, read immediately</li><li>A month before the crash</li></ul><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Patterson-UTI Energy Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Patterson-UTI Energy, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Patterson-UTI Energy wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Patterson-UTI Energy currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

PTEN

<p>Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN) experienced a 23.2% drop in short interest in December, with total short interest at 30,820,204 shares as of December 15th. The short-interest ratio is currently 3.9 days, with 8.3% of the company's stock sold short. Analysts have mixed ratings on the stock, with an average price target of $7.28. Recent insider trading saw Director James Carl Stewart sell 368,254 shares, reducing his position by 64.02%. Institutional investors hold 97.91% of the stock, reflecting significant institutional interest.</p>

Short Interest in Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN) Drops By 23.2%