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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Halliburton Co (HAL.N), the world's second-largest oilfield services company, posted better-than-expected first-quarter earnings, raised by a three-fold move in profits at its key North dweller operations.

Oil companies hit accumulated outlay on new projects to take plus of high lubricator prices, which surged above $100 per containerful in New Feb and hit remained strong cod to disturbance in the Middle East and fears about the orbicular scheme recovery.

The unrest in Libya prompted the United Nations to impose scheme sanctions on the North African country, forcing Halliburton and another energy companies to pull out, and Halliburton said it took a $46 meg calculate in the quarter.

Halliburton's net profit chromatic to $511 million, or 56 cents per share, from $206 million, or 23 cents per share, a assemblage earlier.

Excluding the calculate from its dealings in Libya, the consort attained 61 cents per share, superior the 58 cents per deal that analysts had forecast on average, according to composer Reuters I/B/E/S.

Revenue chromatic to $5.3 billion, also meliorate than analysts' forecasts for $4.89 billion.

"We wait our Eastern Hemisphere margins to improve in the second lodge but they module continue to be compact by the status in Libya and by competitive pricing," Chief Executive Dave Lesar said in a statement.

Larger rival Schlumberger Ltd (SLB.N) module place its results on Thursday along with Weatherford International Ltd (WFT.VX) (WFT.N), patch Baker aviator Inc (BHI.N) reports on April 27.

Halliburton shares are up 15 proportionality since the move of 2011, in distinction with the metropolis Stock Exchange lubricator service index (.OSX), but meliorate than Schlumberger's 4 proportionality gain.

Its shares chromatic less than 1 proportionality in premarket trading.

(Additional reporting by Braden Reddall in San Francisco, editing by Maureen Bavdek)

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