Halliburton Looks To Global Markets For Growth

Halliburton HAL, the world's second-largest oil services company, needs to jolt its international business if the company is to meet or beat the profit growth analysts are projecting. As has been the case with most oil services companies, Halliburton pointed to growth in North America as the catalyst behind robust third-quarter earnings, but with natural gas prices still slumping, services firms need to find growth in global markets. Halliburton's operating income from its three international regions surpassed North America in 2008 and 2009, Bloomberg News reported. Halliburton is holding an analyst meeting on Wednesday and will likely be forced to address the issue of global growth along with the issue of potential liabilities stemming from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. A preliminary report by a presidential commission issued earlier this week says BP BP, Halliburton and Transocean are all responsible in some way for the Gulf spill. Halliburton is expected to earn $2.68 a share in 2011, $3.15 a share in 2012 and $2 this year.