J&J's sales growth accelerated in the second half of 2017 backed by higher sales in the Pharmaceutical segment and improving performance in Medical Devices. Other noteworthy reports we are featuring today include Caterpillar (CAT), Raytheon (RTN) and Halliburton (HAL). Halliburton (HAL) Wrecked by Fracking Sand Cost Inflation The Zacks analyst is concerned about the recent price escalation of sand, a key ingredient to hydraulically fracture new wells, which has driven up Halliburton's service costs.