In the video below, Fool analysts Austin Smith and Jim Mueller discuss the big opportunity ahead for National Oilwell Varco (NOV 0.16%).
NOV is a quiet stock that doesn't get a lot of attention in investment media, yet there's not an oil rig that exists without some equipment on it from National Oilwell Varco, Mueller says.
That's why some investors say the company's ticker symbol, NOV, might as well stand for "No Other Vendor." It's a pick-and-shovel play, meaning that NOV provides all the equipment necessary for drillers to operate, but does not operate any wells itself.
The company is also "energy agnostic," Smith says. It's there no matter if a company is drilling for oil or natural gas, and no matter if it's on land or in water. That makes it a less risky play than investing in a single oil driller, energy company, or pipeline.
