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Core Laboratories Inc.

Rank #357ValueWatchlistCompare with other stocks

CLB · NYSE · Energy

Core Laboratories Inc. (CLB) — Rank #357 by gross profitability (GP/assets 0.19) · ROE 10.9% · Piotroski F-Score 7 / 9.

As-of 2026-10-30 · CIK 0001958086 · all metrics point-in-time as of the filing date.

About

Core Laboratories Inc. provides reservoir description and production enhancement services and products to the oil and gas industry in the United States, and internationally.

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It operates through Reservoir Description and Production Enhancement segments. The Reservoir Description segment includes the characterization of petroleum reservoir rock and reservoir fluid samples to enhance production and improve recovery of crude oil and natural gas from its clients' reservoirs. It offers laboratory-based analytical and field services to characterize properties of crude oil and oil delivered products; and proprietary and joint industry studies, as well as services that support carbon capture, utilization and storage, geothermal projects, and the evaluation and appraisal of mining activities. The Production Enhancement segment provides services and products relating to reservoir well completions, perforations, stimulations, production, and well abandonment. It offers integrated diagnostic services to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of well completions and to develop solutions to improve the effectiveness of enhanced oil recovery projects. The company markets and sells its products through a combination of sales representatives, technical seminars, trade shows, and print advertising, as well as through distributors. Core Laboratories Inc.

was founded in 1936 and is based in Houston, Texas.

Industry
Oil & Gas Equipment & Services
Sector
Energy
State
DE
Filer Category
Large accelerated filer
Fiscal Year End
December 31

Company Snapshot

P/E and dividend yield are the primary valuation lenses for mature businesses.

Market Cap

—

P/E (annual)

—

P/S (annual)

—

P/B

—

P/OCF (annual)

—

Shareholder Yield

—

Employees

3,300

Industry

Oil & Gas Equipment & Services

Exchange

NYSE

10/12

Flags passed

CLB fails 1 critical flag

Passes 10 of 12 quality flags, 1 caution

  • FAIL
    Operating margin declining

    Operating margin lower than prior year

  • CAUTION
    Disclosure regression

    A previously-disclosed line item is no longer reported — worth checking the filing for why

  • PASS
    Gross margin holding
  • PASS
    Dilution within 2%
  • PASS
    FCF not negative from investment
  • PASS
    Revenue not declining
  • PASS
    Free cash flow intact
  • PASS
    Passes safety gate
  • PASS
    Balance sheet stable
  • PASS
    No competitive retreat
  • PASS
    SBC not compressing margin
  • PASS
    No valuation convergence

Strengths Sequential beat (rev + EPS)

A count of the 12 warning flags that could be evaluated. Unweighted: colour follows the worst flag.

Quality Profile

Profitability

1/1 pass
GP / assets
0.19
Return on equity
10.9%
Gross margin trend
PASS

Safety

1/1 pass
Balance-sheet safety
PASS
Debt / equity
1.10
Current ratio
2.12×
Net cash
-$91.13M

Cash Flow

2/3 pass
Positive FCF
PASS
Cash-backed earnings
WARN
Accruals healthy
PASS
SBC / revenue
1.4%

Growth

2/2 pass
Revenue growth
0.5%
Piotroski F-Score
7 / 9
Share dilution
-1.4%

Dividend yield and payout ratio are the primary reads at this stage (trailing P/E — see valuation above).

Profitability

Does it make money well?

Warning: Operating margin declining · GP/assets 0.19

Gross profitability (GP / assets)

0.19

Primary signal (Novy-Marx).

4th of 5 SIC 13 peers

Return on equity

10.9%

Gross margin

20.7%

5th of 5 SIC 13 peers

Revenue growth (YoY)

0.5%

Gross margin improving

Margin trend vs prior year.

PASS

Operating Leverage

2022202320242025
Revenue vs COGS
Revenue vs OpEx
Op. Income vs Revenue

Growth

Revenue CAGR (3Y)

2.4%

Revenue CAGR (5Y)

—

Earnings CAGR (3Y)

15.1%

FCF CAGR (3Y)

—

Cash Flow Health

Is the cash real?

No warning flags · FCF 13% below net income

Free cash flow

$25.82M

Operating cash flow minus capex.

Positive free cash flow

PASS

FCF vs net income

-13.0%

(FCF − net income) ÷ |net income|. Positive: cash above earnings. Negative: below.

FCF not below net income

Fails when free cash flow is below net income (yellow flag).

WARN

Accruals healthy

Cash-backed earnings.

PASS

SBC / revenue

1.4%

Stock-based comp intensity.

Balance Sheet Strength

Can it survive a storm?

No warning flags · net debt $91.13M, F-Score 7/9

Balance-sheet safety

Composite anti-fragile check.

PASS

Debt / equity

1.10

5th of 5 SIC 13 peers (best = lowest)

Current ratio

2.12×

2nd of 5 SIC 13 peers

Quick ratio

1.30×

Net cash

-$91.13M

Cash & equivalents minus total debt.

Piotroski F-Score

7 / 9

Fundamental-strength score (0-9).

Valuation

Is the price reasonable?

No warning flags

Dividend safety

Composite score

3.2 / 5

Good
Payout ratio
6.3%5/5 Strong
FCF coverage
13.82×5/5 Strong
Dividend growth streak
0 yr0/5 Weak
Balance-sheet health
D/E 1.10 · IC 5.34×3/5 Good

Capital allocation quality

Composite score

2.3 / 5

Fair
Share count trend(net buybacks)
-1.4%3/5 Good
Buyback timing
N/AN/A
Dividend growth consistency(non-payer or broken streak)
0 yr0/5 Weak
Net debt trajectory(deleveraging)
3.3%4/5 Strong

Lifecycle Phase History

20212025
Capital Return
Value

Price History

CLB-60.5% · -16.9% CAGRSPY+82.9% · +12.8% CAGR

View full financial statements →

Source filings on SEC EDGAR: 10-K annual reports · 10-Q quarterly reports