Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB) Updates Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Key Points

• Core Laboratories lowered its Q1 2026 guidance, issuing EPS guidance of $0.05–$0.07 (consensus $0.16) and revenue guidance of $119–$123M (consensus $127.2M).
• CLB shares traded at $16.80 midday while analysts hold an overall Hold rating with a consensus target of $12.50, implying downside versus the current price.
• The company pays a minimal dividend (annualized $0.04, ~0.2% yield) and is heavily institutionally owned (~97.8%), with major funds like Goldman Sachs and T. Rowe Price recently increasing stakes.

Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB - Get Free Report) issued an update on its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 0.050-0.070 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 0.160. The company issued revenue guidance of $119.0 million-$123.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $127.2 million.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Core Laboratories in a report on Friday, March 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, Core Laboratories currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.50.

Core Laboratories Stock Performance

CLB stock traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $16.80. 73,859 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 390,997. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.38 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.20. The company has a current ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $773.41 million, a PE ratio of 25.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 14.25 and a beta of 1.15. Core Laboratories has a 1-year low of $9.72 and a 1-year high of $20.36.

Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $138.26 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $130.40 million. Core Laboratories had a net margin of 6.04% and a return on equity of 12.18%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.22 earnings per share. Core Laboratories has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.110-0.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Core Laboratories will post 0.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Core Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 16th were given a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Core Laboratories's payout ratio is presently 5.97%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Core Laboratories

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in CLB. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Core Laboratories by 185.0% in the fourth quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 845,251 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $13,549,000 after buying an additional 548,657 shares in the last quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN raised its position in shares of Core Laboratories by 9.7% in the third quarter. Disciplined Growth Investors Inc. MN now owns 5,969,860 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $73,787,000 after buying an additional 528,976 shares in the last quarter. MAC Alpha Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Core Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,016,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of Core Laboratories by 436.6% in the fourth quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 183,400 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,940,000 after buying an additional 149,219 shares in the last quarter. Finally, T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Core Laboratories by 14.8% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,042,208 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $16,707,000 after buying an additional 134,050 shares in the last quarter. 97.81% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Core Laboratories Company Profile

Core Laboratories N.V. is a global provider of proprietary and patented reservoir description and production enhancement services to the oil and gas industry. The company applies specialized expertise in core and fluid analysis, advanced petrophysical interpretation, and reservoir engineering to optimize hydrocarbon recovery. By integrating laboratory testing with field services and digital analytics, Core Laboratories delivers insights that help operators maximize production and extend the life of their assets.

The company's portfolio spans two primary service lines: reservoir description and production enhancement.

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