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

NOV Inc. (NYSE:NOV) was the target of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Stock investors purchased 2,616 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 1,353% compared to the typical volume of 180 put options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

NOV has been the topic of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “sell” rating and issued a $17.00 target price on shares of NOV in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of NOV in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $16.00 price objective on NOV in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $21.00 target price on shares of NOV in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $17.00 price target on shares of NOV in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, NOV has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.31.

NOV Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of NOV opened at $19.34 on Thursday. NOV has a one year low of $10.84 and a one year high of $19.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $16.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 2.55. The company 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 Announces Dividend

The business 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 of this dividend was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.6%. NOV’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.00%.

Insider Transactions at NOV

In other NOV news, Director Christian S. Kendall purchased 70,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 acquisition, the director owned 85,949 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,242,822.54. This represents a 438.90% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOV. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of NOV in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. CoreFirst Bank & Trust bought a new stake in NOV in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in NOV by 114.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,109 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 1,657 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in NOV by 395.3% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,660 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 2,921 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of NOV by 33.2% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,733 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 931 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More 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

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.