Traders Buy High Volume of NOV Put Options (NYSE:NOV)

NOV Inc. (NYSE:NOV) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 2,616 put options on the stock. This represents an increase of 1,353% compared to the average volume of 180 put options.

Insider Activity at NOV

In other NOV news, Director Christian S. Kendall acquired 70,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was acquired at an average price of $14.46 per share, with a total value of $1,012,200.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 85,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,242,822.54. This represents a 438.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 2.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of NOV

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of NOV by 585.8% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,291,529 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $65,774,000 after buying an additional 4,519,957 shares during the period. First Pacific Advisors LP lifted its stake in NOV by 101.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 7,018,950 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $87,246,000 after acquiring an additional 3,526,754 shares in the last quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in NOV by 401.9% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 3,165,518 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $39,347,000 after acquiring an additional 2,534,815 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in NOV by 27.2% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 6,091,095 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $75,712,000 after acquiring an additional 1,302,214 shares during the period. Finally, Pzena Investment Management LLC grew its stake in NOV by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Pzena Investment Management LLC now owns 42,708,890 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $530,872,000 after acquiring an additional 1,144,486 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on NOV from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $17.00 price target on shares of NOV in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “sell” rating and set a $17.00 price objective on shares of NOV in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays upgraded shares of NOV from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $15.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of NOV from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.31.

NOV Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of NOV stock opened at $19.34 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $16.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.99 and a beta of 0.93. NOV has a fifty-two week low of $10.84 and a fifty-two week high of $19.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

NOV Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were paid a $0.075 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. NOV’s payout ratio is currently 30.00%.

Key NOV News

Here are the key news stories impacting NOV this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash generation and shareholder returns — NOV reported robust operating cash flow ($573M in Q4; $1.25B for 2025) and free cash flow ($472M Q4; $876M FY2025) and returned $505M to shareholders via buybacks and dividends, signaling capital-return commitment. NOV Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Energy Equipment momentum and backlog — Energy Equipment grew revenue sequentially and continues to post margin expansion; ending backlog for capital equipment remains meaningful at ~$4.34B, supporting future revenue visibility. NOV Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst action — Barclays upgraded NOV from Underweight to Equal Weight and raised its $20 price target, which can lift sentiment and buying interest. Barclays Upgrade (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue mix and scale — Q4 revenue rose sequentially (~5% q/q to $2.28B) but was down ~1% y/y for the full year; adjusted EBITDA remains sizeable ($267M Q4; $1.03B FY) though margins contracted versus 2024. NOV Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings miss and quarterly loss — NOV reported Q4 GAAP EPS of $0.02, well below consensus (~$0.25) and posted a Q4 net loss of $78M (~$0.21/sh), driving near-term disappointment. Nov Inc. (NOV) Q4 Earnings Lag Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Lower profitability and one‑offs — Adjusted EBITDA declined y/y (12% Q4 decline) and the company recorded $86M in pre-tax other items (including impairments), plus a higher effective tax rate that compressed net income. NOV Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term outlook cautious — Management expects Q1 revenue down 1–3% y/y and adj. EBITDA of $200–$225M, and warns of an oversupplied oil market and customer budget caution that could delay aftermarket demand. NOV Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Earnings

NOV Company Profile

National Oilwell Varco (NYSE: NOV) is a leading provider of equipment and technology to the oil and gas industry. The company designs, manufactures and services an extensive portfolio of products used in drilling, completion and production operations. Its offerings include drilling rigs and related components, wellbore technologies such as tubulars and completion tools, surface equipment including mud pumps and blowout preventers, and aftermarket parts and services that support ongoing field operations.

NOV’s business is organized to serve upstream energy companies around the world.