Why Core Labs' Shares Jumped (CLB)

Why Core Labs' Shares Jumped

Although we don't believe in timing the market or panicking over market movements, we do like to keep an eye on big changes -- just in case they're material to our investing thesis.

What: Shares of oil and gas service provider Core Labs (NYSE: CLB ) jumped 10% today after reporting fourth-quarter earnings.

So what: The company said revenue was up 4.4% in the quarter to $254.5 million, ahead of the $247 million analysts expected. Earnings per share were $1.17, $0.04 ahead of estimate.

Now what: Deepwater drilling is driving results and the expansion in this area should continue for some time to come. I'm just leery of buying a company that is growing this slowly for 22 times next year's earnings estimates. I need to see more growth before thinking that it's a good value, especially after today's jump.

Interested in more info on Core Labs? Add it to your watchlist by clicking here.

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Fool contributor Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. You can follow Travis on Twitter at @FlushDrawFool, check out his personal stock holdings or follow his CAPS picks at TMFFlushDraw.

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