Core Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:CLB) Sees Significant Decline in Short Interest

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 1st, 2026

Core Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:CLB – Get Free Report) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 4,023,689 shares, a decline of 32.6% from the June 30th total of 5,971,336 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,615,519 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.5 days. Currently, 8.8% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Core Laboratories

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Core Laboratories in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Core Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Core Laboratories by 36.1% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,516 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 668 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in Core Laboratories by 118.1% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 2,953 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,599 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in Core Laboratories by 124.7% in the fourth quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,177 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 1,763 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.81% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Core Laboratories

Here are the key news stories impacting Core Laboratories this week:

Positive Sentiment: Core Laboratories reported second-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.11, above the $0.08 analyst consensus. Production Enhancement performance helped offset weakness in the Reservoir Description business. Core Laboratories Q2 Earnings Beat Estimates, Decline Y/Y
Positive Sentiment: Operating income excluding special items increased 42% sequentially, while adjusted EPS rose 85% from the prior quarter. The company also repurchased 214,712 shares for $2.7 million, supporting per-share value. Core Lab Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results
Positive Sentiment: Management and analysts described the earnings call as indicating a gradual recovery, with sequential revenue and profitability improvement providing a potential foundation for a broader turnaround. Core Laboratories Earnings Call Signals Gradual Recovery
Neutral Sentiment: Core Laboratories declared a $0.01 quarterly dividend, payable August 31 to shareholders of record August 10. The dividend provides income support, but its annualized yield is only about 0.4%.
Negative Sentiment: Second-quarter revenue fell 4.3% year over year to $124.6 million, below the roughly $126.3 million consensus, while adjusted EPS declined from $0.19 a year earlier. Free cash flow was modest at $3.1 million. Is CLB Stock Attractive After Its Sharp Selloff and Mixed Q2 Results?
Negative Sentiment: Third-quarter EPS guidance of $0.12–$0.20 is broad and includes a level below the $0.17 consensus estimate. The company expects revenue of $128.5–$135.5 million, signaling only a gradual recovery. Analysts also remain cautious after a sharp six-month selloff and ongoing geopolitical pressure.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on CLB shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Core Laboratories from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings lowered Core Laboratories from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce”.

Get Our Latest Stock Report on CLB

Core Laboratories Stock Up 2.9%

Shares of NYSE CLB traded up $0.30 during trading on Friday, reaching $10.65. 774,822 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 804,549. The company has a market capitalization of $490.84 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.00. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $12.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $15.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.50, a current ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Core Laboratories has a twelve month low of $9.72 and a twelve month high of $20.36.

Core Laboratories (NYSE:CLB – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The oil and gas company reported $0.11 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.02. Core Laboratories had a net margin of 5.10% and a return on equity of 10.03%. The business had revenue of $124.61 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $126.26 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.19 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. Core Laboratories has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.120-0.200 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Core Laboratories will post 0.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Core Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.01 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 10th. This represents a $0.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Core Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 7.14%.

About Core Laboratories

(Get Free Report)

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.