NOV
Through the investors’ lenses
Each of these investors has said in public what they look at before buying. Click a name to see how this company measures up — a tick where it passes one of their tests, a cross where it does not.
Warren Buffett 2/4
| Measure | NOV | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner earnings | $125.00m | positive | ✓ |
| Return on equity | 2.3% | median 11.7% | ✗ |
| Debt to equity | 0.27x | median 0.79x | ✓ |
| Operating margin | 5.6% | median 15.0% | ✗ |
Passes 2 of 4. To be clear: Warren Buffett has never said anything about NOV. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Terry Smith 2/4
| Measure | NOV | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on capital employed | 6.2% | median 10.1% | ✗ |
| Cash conversion | 8.63x | median 1.78x | ✓ |
| Operating margin | 5.6% | median 15.0% | ✗ |
| Debt to equity | 0.27x | median 0.79x | ✓ |
Passes 2 of 4. To be clear: Terry Smith has never said anything about NOV. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Charlie Munger 0/3
| Measure | NOV | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on capital employed | 6.2% | median 10.1% | ✗ |
| Return on equity | 2.3% | median 11.7% | ✗ |
| Operating margin | 5.6% | median 15.0% | ✗ |
Passes 0 of 3. To be clear: Charlie Munger has never said anything about NOV. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Chuck Akre 2/4
| Measure | NOV | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on equity | 2.3% | median 11.7% | ✗ |
| Debt to equity | 0.27x | median 0.79x | ✓ |
| Cash conversion | 8.63x | median 1.78x | ✓ |
| Return on equity, sustained | 1 of 10 | 8 of 10 above median | ✗ |
Passes 2 of 4. To be clear: Chuck Akre has never said anything about NOV. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Philip Fisher 1/4
| Measure | NOV | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 5.6% | median 15.0% | ✗ |
| Net margin | 1.7% | median 10.2% | ✗ |
| Return on capital employed | 6.2% | median 10.1% | ✗ |
| Operating margin, held or improving | 5.6% | 10-yr median -2.4% | ✓ |
Passes 1 of 4. To be clear: Philip Fisher has never said anything about NOV. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Walter Schloss 2/2
| Measure | NOV | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current ratio | 2.42x | median 1.25x | ✓ |
| Debt to equity | 0.27x | median 0.79x | ✓ |
Passes 2 of 2. To be clear: Walter Schloss has never said anything about NOV. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Benjamin Graham 2/3
| Measure | NOV | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current ratio | 2.42x | 2.00x published | ✓ |
| Long-term debt to working capital | 0.49x | 1.00x published | ✓ |
| Positive earnings, ten years running | 4 yrs | 10 published | ✗ |
Passes 2 of 3. To be clear: Benjamin Graham has never said anything about NOV. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Joel Greenblatt 0/1
| Measure | NOV | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Return on capital employed | 6.2% | median 10.1% | ✗ |
Passes 0 of 1. To be clear: Joel Greenblatt has never said anything about NOV. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
Peter Lynch 1/2
| Measure | NOV | Checked against | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debt to equity | 0.27x | median 0.79x | ✓ |
| Net margin | 1.7% | median 10.2% | ✗ |
Passes 1 of 2. To be clear: Peter Lynch has never said anything about NOV. These are the company’s own figures put through the tests he described. What he looks at, and why →
| Basis | Payout | Why |
|---|---|---|
| GAAP earnings | 130.8% | whyThe figure most screeners publish. |
| Operating cash flow | 15.2% | whyBefore capital spending. |
| Free cash flow | 21.7% | whyAfter maintaining the business. |
Spread between highest and lowest: 115.6 percentage points. Same filings, different denominators.
Coverage rating 43 / 100 — Tight. ? Peer standing 32/50Direction 10/30Stability 1/20
Free cash flow payout, last 6 years
| Fiscal year | Payout |
|---|---|
| 2025-12-31 | 21.7% |
| 2024-12-31 | 11.3% |
| 2021-12-31 | 22.2% |
| 2020-12-31 | 2.7% |
| 2019-12-31 | 16.0% |
| 2018-12-31 | 27.4% |
Coverage worsened sharply this year, 11.3% to 21.7%, after no clear trend before it. One year is not a trend, but it is worth knowing which direction the last one moved.
65% of the 74 industrials here pay out more.
The arithmetic
- GAAP earnings — dividends declared per share $0.510 ÷ diluted EPS $0.390
- Operating cash flow — dividends paid $190m ÷ operating cash flow $1,251m
- Free cash flow — dividends paid $190m ÷ (operating cash flow $1,251m − capex $375m)
Where the figures came from
- 10-K filed 2026-02-12 · accession 0001193125-26-048350
All public at sec.gov — you should not have to take our word for it.
Computed straight from SEC XBRL. A number that looks wrong to you is more useful to us than agreement — tell us.
What the free cash flow payout ratio measures, and where every company here sits on it.
Also on: uncovered on earnings, covered on the basis that applies · rated tight · when it files.
When this changes
Every figure above is recomputed whenever NOV files. The monthly letter carries what filed, what moved, and one finding computed across every company here.