The company’s shares rose 3.8 percent to $48.69 before the bell on Monday after it posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by higher revenue and operating income from Latin America, the Middle East and Asia. Halliburton agreed to buy smaller rival Baker Hughes Inc (BHI.N) for $35 billion last November, to better negotiate the slump in oil and resist pressure from oil producers to slash prices. Excluding one-time items, Halliburton earned 49 cents per share, above the average analyst estimate of 37 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.