NOV (NYSE:NOV) Stock Rating Upgraded by Barclays

NOV (NYSE:NOV) was upgraded by research analysts at Barclays from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a report released on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a $20.00 price target on the oil and gas exploration company’s stock, up from their previous price target of $15.00. Barclays‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 9.72% from the company’s current price.

NOV has been the subject of several other research reports. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of NOV from $14.00 to $17.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 18th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on shares of NOV from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of NOV from $17.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of NOV in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $16.00 price objective on NOV in a report on Monday, December 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.31.

NOV Price Performance

NOV stock opened at $18.23 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $16.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $14.69. The firm has a market cap of $6.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.97, a PEG ratio of 5.15 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.71 and a current ratio of 2.55. NOV has a 1 year low of $10.84 and a 1 year high of $19.51.

NOV (NYSE:NOV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.02 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.23). NOV had a return on equity of 3.54% and a net margin of 1.66%.The company had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.17 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that NOV will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at NOV

In other news, Director Christian S. Kendall purchased 70,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.46 per share, with a total value of $1,012,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 85,949 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,242,822.54. The trade was a 438.90% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.08% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of NOV

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in NOV by 0.6% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 111,185 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $1,473,000 after buying an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of NOV by 37.9% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,578 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 709 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its holdings in shares of NOV by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 116,720 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $1,547,000 after acquiring an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in NOV by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 29,023 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock worth $385,000 after purchasing an additional 743 shares during the period. Finally, Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in NOV by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 11,759 shares of the oil and gas exploration company’s stock valued at $156,000 after purchasing an additional 827 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.27% of the company’s stock.

Key NOV News

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)

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.