NOV (NYSE:NOV) Hits New 12-Month High After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of NOV Inc. (NYSE:NOV) hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday after Barclays upgraded the stock from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating. Barclays now has a $20.00 price target on the stock, up from their previous price target of $15.00. NOV traded as high as $19.36 and last traded at $19.3350, with a volume of 1532030 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $18.77.

Several other research analysts also recently weighed in on NOV. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of NOV in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of NOV from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of NOV in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on NOV from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of NOV in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Christian S. Kendall acquired 70,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $14.46 per share, for a total transaction of $1,012,200.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 85,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,242,822.54. This represents a 438.90% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 2.08% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Key Stories Impacting NOV

Here are the key news stories impacting NOV this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash generation and shareholder returns — NOV reported full‑year free cash flow of $876M and returned $505M to shareholders in 2025 via buybacks and dividends (22.8M shares repurchased during the year). This supports capital return and balance‑sheet flexibility. NOV Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Commercial & technology momentum — NOV highlighted multiple contract awards (jack‑up rig package, gas dehydration, subsea/cable‑lay equipment) and growth in its Downhole Broadband Solutions™ usage, a potential long‑term margin driver. These wins support medium‑term aftermarket and equipment demand. NOV Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst action: Barclays raised its stance to equal‑weight and lifted its $15→$20 price target, which may support sentiment among institutional holders. Barclays upgrade (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly results & guidance overview — Q4 revenue $2.28B (sequential +5%, down ~1% YoY). Management expects Q1 2026 revenue down 1–3% YoY and Adjusted EBITDA of $200–$225M; commentary flagged an oversupplied oil market with improvement expected in H2‑2026 and stronger dynamics in 2027. See the call transcript and slide deck for details. NOV Inc. (NOV) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript NOV Inc. 2025 Q4 – Results – Earnings Call Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings miss and profitability pressure — GAAP EPS of $0.02 missed consensus (~$0.25) and NOV reported a Q4 net loss of $78M; Adjusted EBITDA declined ~12% YoY. The quarter included $86M of pre‑tax “Other Items” (impairments), reducing near‑term GAAP profit. Nov Inc. (NOV) Q4 Earnings Lag Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Investor hedging and put activity — unusually high put option volume (2,616 puts, ~1,353% above average) suggests some traders are positioning for further near‑term weakness or downside volatility. Monitor option flows as a short‑term sentiment indicator. Traders Buy High Volume of NOV Put Options (NYSE:NOV)

Hedge Funds Weigh In On NOV

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOV. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in NOV by 15.6% during the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 49,721 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $756,000 after purchasing an additional 6,711 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of NOV by 35.5% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 161,927 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $2,465,000 after buying an additional 42,462 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of NOV by 17.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,062,292 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $16,168,000 after buying an additional 157,385 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth bought a new position in NOV in the first quarter worth about $214,000. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in NOV by 123.8% in the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 5,379 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 2,975 shares during the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

NOV Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.71, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $16.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $14.69. The company has a market capitalization of $6.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.97, a P/E/G ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 0.93.

NOV (NYSE:NOV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.25 by ($0.23). The company had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.17 billion. NOV had a return on equity of 3.54% and a net margin of 1.66%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.41 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that NOV Inc. will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

NOV Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were given a dividend of $0.075 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. NOV’s dividend payout ratio is currently 78.95%.

About NOV

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.