Core Laboratories N.V. (CLB)
NYSE:CLB
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Core Laboratories
(NYSE:CLB)
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Rating:57Neutral
Price Target:
$13.50
▼(-17.03% Downside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:05/14/26
Overall score reflects stable-to-improving underlying financial footing (better leverage and solid margins) but is held back by the sharp recent revenue downturn and moderate cash conversion/working-capital strain. Technicals are notably weak with the stock below key moving averages and negative MACD, while valuation is limited by a negative P/E and a very small dividend yield. Earnings call guidance points to only a modest Q2 rebound amid elevated geopolitical and operational uncertainty.
Positive Factors
Proprietary technical portfolio and field wins
Core’s proprietary diagnostic and completion technologies have demonstrated repeatable, measurable field value (e.g., GTX, FLOWPROFILER, PackScan, RF-safe detonators). Durable technical differentiation strengthens client stickiness, supports pricing power and creates multi-well campaign opportunities that sustain demand beyond short cycles.
Negative Factors
Material revenue decline and upstream cyclicality
Core’s earnings remain highly sensitive to upstream activity; the deep TTM revenue drop and recent sequential declines reflect that cyclic exposure. Prolonged weak drilling/completion spend reduces lab throughput and product volumes, pressuring utilization, pricing leverage and multi-quarter recovery prospects.
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Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Proprietary technical portfolio and field wins
Core’s proprietary diagnostic and completion technologies have demonstrated repeatable, measurable field value (e.g., GTX, FLOWPROFILER, PackScan, RF-safe detonators). Durable technical differentiation strengthens client stickiness, supports pricing power and creates multi-well campaign opportunities that sustain demand beyond short cycles.
Read all positive factors
Core Laboratories Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Any
Revenue By Segment
Shows how different business segments contribute to overall revenue, highlighting which areas drive growth and profitability for Core Laboratories.
Shows how different business segments contribute to overall revenue, highlighting which areas drive growth and profitability for Core Laboratories.
Data provided by:
The Fly
The FlyCore Laboratories (CLB) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)
Market Cap
$625.07M
Dividend Yield0.24%
Average Volume (3M)411.26K
Price to Earnings (P/E)―
Beta (1Y)1.15
Revenue Growth1.34%
EPS Growth12.50%
CountryUS
Employees3,400
SectorEnergy
Sector Strength52
IndustryOil & Gas Equipment & Services
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)0.65
Shares Outstanding46,096,684
10 Day Avg. Volume423,711
30 Day Avg. Volume411,263
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio16.83
Price to Book (P/B)2.66
Price to Sales (P/S)1.42
P/FCF Ratio33.00
Enterprise Value/Market Cap1.04
Enterprise Value/Revenue1.24
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit6.97
Enterprise Value/Ebitda9.02
Forecast
1Y Price TargetN/A
Price Target UpsideN/A
Rating ConsensusN/A
Number of Analyst Covering0
EPS Forecast (FY)0.62
Revenue Forecast (FY)$514.92M
Core Laboratories Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
Core Laboratories N.V. provides reservoir description and production enhancement services and products to the oil and gas industry in the United States, Canada, and internationally. It operates through Reservoir Description and Production Enhancem...
How the Company Makes Money
Core Laboratories makes money by selling specialized, largely laboratory- and technology-driven services and products to oil and gas producers and service companies, with revenue reported primarily across two operating segments.
1) Reservoir Desc...
Core Laboratories Earnings Call Summary
Earnings Call Date:Apr 29, 2026
(Q1-2026)
| % Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Jul 29, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Negative
The call mixed clear operational and technological strengths (notable product wins, digital data progress, continued shareholder returns and a constructive multi‑year market outlook) with acute near-term headwinds. Q1 showed meaningful sequential revenue declines, sharp margin compression and steep earnings deterioration driven by the Middle East conflict, Russia/Ukraine disruptions, severe weather and higher costs—offset only partially by product/diagnostic demand in select regions and ongoing capital returns. Management expects modest sequential improvement in Q2 but the near-term outlook is still clouded by geopolitical and operational uncertainty.Positive Updates
Revenue and Seasonal Context
Q1 revenue was $121.8M, down 12% sequentially and down 1% year-over-year; management notes typical seasonal Q4→Q1 decline but emphasizes underlying demand pockets (e.g., Gulf of Mexico diagnostics) that partially offset softer regions.
Negative Updates
Significant Sequential Revenue and Margin Declines
Total revenue fell 12% sequentially to $121.8M (down 1% YoY). Reservoir Description revenue declined 11% QoQ to $82M (flat YoY). Production Enhancement revenue fell ~13% QoQ (also reported as down 7% YoY) to $40M. Operating margins compressed materially across segments.
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Q1-2026 Updates
Positive
Negative
Revenue and Seasonal Context
Q1 revenue was $121.8M, down 12% sequentially and down 1% year-over-year; management notes typical seasonal Q4→Q1 decline but emphasizes underlying demand pockets (e.g., Gulf of Mexico diagnostics) that partially offset softer regions.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Core Lab guided Q2 2026 revenue of $123.0M–$131.0M, with segment guidance of Reservoir Description revenue $77.5M–$82.5M (operating income $3.5M–$5.4M) and Production Enhancement revenue $45.5M–$48.5M (operating income $2.8M–$4.7M), implying consolidated operating income of $6.4M–$10.2M (roughly a 7% operating margin) and EPS of $0.06–$0.12; the guidance excludes FX gains/losses and assumes a 25% effective tax rate. Management reiterated FY-2026 G&A ex-items of approximately $42M–$45M, capital expenditures (excluding insurance-covered U.K. rebuild) of $15M–$18M (historically ~2–4% of revenue), expects manufacturing absorption to align with projected product sales, and said it will continue to deploy free cash to the dividend and opportunistic share repurchases (Q1 free cash flow was $0.5M; cash $22.8M; net debt $94.2M; leverage ~1.2x).Core Laboratories Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
64
Positive
Balance Sheet
72
Positive
Cash Flow
58
Neutral
| Breakdown | TTM | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2022 | Dec 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | ||||||
| Total Revenue | 524.73M | 526.52M | 523.85M | 509.79M | 489.74M | 470.25M |
| Gross Profit | 93.61M | 94.28M | 88.37M | 94.05M | 78.92M | 83.84M |
| EBITDA | 72.32M | 71.12M | 73.27M | 70.42M | 58.69M | 63.78M |
| Net Income | 29.03M | 29.67M | 31.40M | 36.67M | 19.45M | 19.73M |
Balance Sheet | ||||||
| Total Assets | 587.73M | 596.95M | 590.41M | 586.39M | 578.35M | 580.85M |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 22.82M | 22.85M | 19.16M | 15.12M | 15.43M | 17.70M |
| Total Debt | 41.28M | 206.33M | 180.14M | 215.38M | 222.39M | 250.26M |
| Total Liabilities | 312.58M | 317.19M | 332.67M | 356.59M | 389.40M | 419.85M |
| Stockholders Equity | 275.14M | 279.76M | 251.99M | 224.81M | 184.26M | 156.45M |
Cash Flow | ||||||
| Free Cash Flow | 18.94M | 22.59M | 43.36M | 14.21M | 14.74M | 23.04M |
| Operating Cash Flow | 35.10M | 37.18M | 56.39M | 24.79M | 24.96M | 36.58M |
| Investing Cash Flow | -6.57M | -2.23M | -6.39M | -6.65M | -3.86M | -10.22M |
| Financing Cash Flow | -27.40M | -31.25M | -45.96M | -18.45M | -23.38M | -22.46M |
Core Laboratories Technical Analysis
Negative
16.27
Price Trends
15.72
Negative
16.97
Negative
15.20
Negative
Market Momentum
-0.84
Positive
40.53
Neutral
45.31
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For CLB, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 16.27 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 14.66, above the 50-day MA of 15.72, and above the 200-day MA of 15.20, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -0.84 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 40.53 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 45.31 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for CLB.
Core Laboratories Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (65)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
69 Neutral | $719.21M | 32.84 | 28.83% | ― | 24.72% | 72.35% | |
65 Neutral | $15.17B | 7.61 | 4.09% | 5.20% | 3.87% | -62.32% | |
62 Neutral | $1.42B | 34.44 | 2.51% | ― | 4.09% | -93.54% | |
59 Neutral | $2.21B | -115.61 | -1.43% | ― | -15.55% | 91.88% | |
57 Neutral | $625.07M | -245.11 | 10.68% | 0.24% | 1.34% | 12.50% | |
54 Neutral | $552.58M | 151.76 | -17.52% | ― | -4.50% | -2286.91% | |
49 Neutral | $1.41B | -3.01 | -53.92% | ― | -18.94% | -69.29% |
* Energy Sector Average
CLB
Core Laboratories
13.72
2.63
23.75%
FTK
Flotek
19.90
4.86
32.31%
OIS
Oil States International
9.09
4.72
108.01%
TTI
Tetra Technologies
10.32
7.59
278.02%
PUMP
Propetro Holding
17.89
12.39
225.27%
ACDC
ProFrac Holding
8.04
1.49
22.75%
Core Laboratories Corporate Events
Executive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
Core Laboratories Shareholders Back Directors, Auditor and Pay
Positive
May 13, 2026
Core Laboratories Inc. held its Annual Meeting of Shareholders on May 12, 2026, in Houston, Texas, where investors considered director elections, auditor ratification, and executive compensation matters. Shareholders re-elected Class I directors H...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackDividendsFinancial Disclosures
Core Laboratories Posts Flat Q1 2026 Results Amid Disruptions
Negative
Apr 29, 2026
Core Laboratories, a Houston-based oilfield services specialist in reservoir description and advanced production enhancement technologies, generated most of its first-quarter 2026 revenue from international and offshore projects, underscoring its ...
Business Operations and StrategyFinancial Disclosures
Core Laboratories Cuts Q1 2026 Guidance Amid Mideast Turmoil
Negative
Mar 23, 2026
Core Laboratories Inc. is a leading provider of proprietary and patented reservoir description and production enhancement services and products used to optimize petroleum reservoir performance. The company operates more than 70 offices in over 50 ...
Business Operations and StrategyRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Core Laboratories Eases Shareholder Threshold for Major Deals
Positive
Mar 5, 2026
On February 27, 2026, Core Laboratories Inc. amended and restated its bylaws to lower the shareholder voting threshold required for certain major corporate actions. The change reduces the approval requirement for mergers and change‑in‑...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.