Key Points
- Insider sale: President Joseph Rovig sold 151,086 shares at an average of $20.17 on Feb. 23 (≈$3.05M), cutting his holding by ~35.9%; other senior insiders, including SVP/GC Craig Weinstock, also sold, a typically negative signal for investors.
- Q4 results and analyst view: NOV missed Q4 EPS ($0.02 vs. $0.25 est.) though revenue was $2.28B; margins remain thin and the consensus rating is a “Hold” with a $18.36 target while analysts forecast about $1.40 EPS for the year.
- Dividend and institutional backing: The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.09 (annualized $0.36, ~1.7% yield) despite a ~79% payout ratio, and large institutional buying (Price T. Rowe, others) means ~93% of shares are held by institutions, which may underwrite demand.
NOV Inc. (NYSE:NOV - Get Free Report) VP Craig Weinstock sold 70,000 shares of NOV stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.08, for a total transaction of $1,405,600.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 256,319 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,146,885.52. The trade was a 21.45% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.
NOV Trading Up 1.8%
Shares of NOV stock opened at $20.65 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.44 billion, a PE ratio of 54.35 and a beta of 0.93. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $17.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.33. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 2.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27. NOV Inc. has a 12-month low of $10.84 and a 12-month high of $20.86.
NOV (NYSE:NOV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 5th. The oil and gas exploration company reported $0.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by ($0.23). NOV had a net margin of 1.66% and a return on equity of 3.57%. The firm had revenue of $2.28 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.41 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that NOV Inc. will post 1.4 earnings per share for the current year.
NOV Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.09 dividend. This is a positive change from NOV's previous quarterly dividend of $0.08. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. NOV's dividend payout ratio is presently 78.95%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of NOV from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Morgan Stanley set a $16.00 price objective on NOV in a report on Monday, December 15th. Susquehanna reiterated a "positive" rating and set a $21.00 target price on shares of NOV in a research report on Friday, February 6th. Barclays upgraded NOV from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $15.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of NOV from $17.00 to $18.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $18.36.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on NOV
Institutional Trading of NOV
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in NOV by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 18,972,635 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $296,547,000 after acquiring an additional 394,582 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in NOV by 43.6% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 7,596,504 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock worth $100,654,000 after purchasing an additional 2,304,975 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in NOV by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 7,033,947 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $109,941,000 after purchasing an additional 25,610 shares during the last quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP boosted its position in NOV by 101.0% in the second quarter. First Pacific Advisors LP now owns 7,018,950 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $87,246,000 after buying an additional 3,526,754 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenhaven Associates Inc. boosted its position in NOV by 15.4% in the third quarter. Greenhaven Associates Inc. now owns 5,747,682 shares of the oil and gas exploration company's stock valued at $76,157,000 after buying an additional 765,166 shares in the last quarter. 93.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
NOV News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting NOV this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage and price targets support the stock near current levels — several firms have issued Buy/Outperform ratings and the median 6‑month price target is about $20, providing a valuation anchor for investors. QuiverQuant Note on Insider Activity & Analyst Targets
- Positive Sentiment: Selective institutional buying was reported (notably Price T. Rowe adding a large position in Q4 2025), which can underpin demand even as other funds trim exposure. QuiverQuant Institutional Activity
- Neutral Sentiment: Unrelated sector news (e.g., Novo Nordisk drug trial coverage) is circulating but does not affect NOV’s oilfield-services fundamentals. Blockonomi: Novo Nordisk Drug News
- Negative Sentiment: Large insider sale by President Joseph W. Rovig — sold 151,086 shares at ~$20.17 on Feb 23 (roughly $3.05M), reducing his holding by ~35.9%. Insider selling at this scale is typically viewed negatively by the market. SEC Filing: Rovig Sale
- Negative Sentiment: Senior VP & General Counsel Craig L. Weinstock sold shares in two transactions (70,000 shares at ~$20.08 and an earlier 10,495-share sale), trimming his position materially — another negative insider signal. SEC Filing: Weinstock Sale QuiverQuant: Weinstock Activity
- Negative Sentiment: Analyst commentary highlights operational headwinds — Zacks and other analysts point to weak Q4 drilling activity, a cautious M&A stance, and offshore/wind uncertainty, arguing for a muted near‑term outlook. That note can pressure sentiment despite technical/valuation support. Zacks: Should You Sell or Hold NOV?
NOV Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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