NEW YORK, January 3, 2026, 03:56 ET — Market closed
- SLB closed up 4.74% on Friday at $40.20 and was slightly higher in after-hours trading.
- Halliburton and Baker Hughes also gained, keeping oilfield-services stocks in lockstep.
- Traders are watching a Sunday OPEC+ meeting and SLB’s Jan. 23 earnings for the next catalyst.
SLB N.V. shares rose 4.74% to $40.20 on Friday, outpacing the broader market in the first U.S. session of 2026. The stock traded between $38.07 and $40.44 and last changed hands at $40.23 in after-hours trading. Analysts tracked by Stock Analysis rate SLB a “strong buy” with a $50.96 price target, and the company is scheduled to report results on Jan. 23. StockAnalysis
The move matters because SLB is a bellwether for oilfield activity and often sets the tone for the sector. Investors are trying to pin down whether producers will maintain 2026 budgets as oversupply worries hang over crude.
That budget picture feeds directly into service demand and pricing, from drilling through well completions — the work that brings a well online. SLB’s international footprint can help when U.S. shale activity slows, but traders want evidence in guidance.
U.S. stocks finished mixed on Friday, with value shares leading as the Dow rose 0.66% and the S&P 500 added 0.19%, Reuters reported. “Value is outperforming growth and AI infrastructure is up,” said Jed Ellerbroek, a portfolio manager at Argent Capital. U.S. crude settled at $57.32 a barrel and Brent at $60.75, as investors weighed oversupply worries against geopolitical risks. Reuters
Oilfield-services names moved together. Halliburton rose 4.74% to $29.60 and Baker Hughes added 3.51% to $47.14, while equipment maker NOV jumped 4.99%, MarketWatch data showed. MarketWatch
The group can rally even on flat oil when traders rotate into economically sensitive stocks at the start of a new year. Oilfield-services companies often trade on activity levels and job complexity as much as on day-to-day crude moves.
SLB, formerly Schlumberger, sells drilling, well construction and production technology around the world. That mix leaves it geared to large offshore and Middle East projects that tend to run longer than U.S. shale programs.
On Jan. 23, investors will look for any change in the company’s view on 2026 upstream spending — the budgets oil producers allocate to drill and maintain output. Commentary on pricing and margins will help determine whether Friday’s move has staying power.
Technically, the $38 area marked near-term support in Friday trading, while the stock remains below its $44.66 52-week high. Traders often treat those levels as signposts going into an earnings report.
Before the next session, energy markets will take cues from an OPEC+ meeting on Sunday, where the producer group is expected to leave first-quarter output levels unchanged, Reuters reported, citing sources. OPEC+ includes OPEC members and allies such as Russia. Traders also have commodity-index rebalancing starting Jan. 8 and U.S. jobs data due Jan. 9 on the docket. Reuters
