Halliburton Co. (NYSE: HAL) shares are on the up and up Friday morning following strong fourth-quarter 2012 results, which were bolstered by International markets.

Sales for the oil and gas exploration equipment provider rose 3.2 percent to $7.29 billion, from $7.06 billion in the same period last year. Amid the improved turnover, net income slumped 26 percent to $669 million, or 72 cents per share. Adjusted EPS -- which excludes acquisition-related charges and litigation gains -- was 67 cents.

Consensus views called for revs of $7.07 billion and EPS of 62 cents per share.

Notably, revenue in the same period last year grew 37 percent. Hampering sales growth was Completion and Production, which saw just a 0.2 percent gain from last year.

LatAm revs rose 23.5 percent from last year, while Middle East/Africa (MEA) saw a 25 percent gain to $1.24 billion. North America revs dropped 8.7 percent to $3.75 billion.

By comparison, LatAm saw a 46 percent gain in revs and MEA revs rose just 14.8 percent last year. North America was the winner through, producing a 56 percent increase.

Halliburton noted that in the fourth quarter of 2012, it "invested an additional $36 million, pre-tax, in strategic projects aimed at strengthening Halliburton’s North America service delivery model and repositioning technology, supply chain, and manufacturing infrastructure to support projected international growth."

Ahead of the bell Friday, Halliburtion is trading up about two percent.

Earnings

Global Hunter Securities Upgrades Halliburton (HAL) to BuyJanuary 25, 2013 9:03 AM Halliburton Co. (HAL) Tops Q4 EPS by 5cJanuary 25, 2013 7:03 AM