LBRT · Energy(oil & gas field services, nec) · 10 years of annual accounts filed with the SEC · latest fiscal year ended 2025-12-31
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Liberty Energy Inc. reported revenue of $4.0 billion in fiscal 2025, after growing 11.6% a year over the previous 9 years. Its operating margin narrowed from 12.2% in 2017 to 1.8%, and it earned 2.4% on its invested capital in the latest year. Of the $4.0 billion its operations generated over 10 years, 84.0% went back into the business and 14.6% to buybacks. On the accounting screens, it passes 4 of 9 Piotroski tests, its Altman Z'' of 2.92 is in the safe zone and its Beneish M-score is below the -1.78 line; none of the six cross-checks between its statements fires.
Revenue, fiscal 20254.0B+11.6% a year over 9 years
Operating margin1.8%gross margin 20.9%
Return on invested capital2.4%12.0% on average over 5 years
Free cash flow after stock pay-27.8M-0.7% of revenue
Net debt ÷ EBITDA0.4×net debt 219.1M
Piotroski F-score4/9tests of improvement passed
Share counts are in today's shares. The SEC's filings restate only recent years after a split, so these jumps were read as splits and the older years scaled to match — otherwise per-share figures would compare different units:
2-for-1 before fiscal 2021.
Is it growing?
Revenue and the operating income it turns into. Growth that does not reach operating income is growth bought with margin.
RevenueOperating income
-2.0B02.0B4.0B6.0B
2017Revenue 1.5BOperating income 181.1M
2018
2018Revenue 2.2BOperating income 306.6M
2019Revenue 2.0BOperating income 103.6M
2020Revenue 965.8MOperating income -177.0M
2021Revenue 2.5BOperating income -181.2M
2022Revenue 4.1BOperating income 495.9M
2023Revenue 4.7BOperating income 760.6M
2024Revenue 4.3BOperating income 389.5M
2025Revenue 4.0BOperating income 72.7M
2017201820182019202020212022202320242025
Compound growth a year
3 yrs
5 yrs
9 yrs
Revenue
-1.2%
+32.9%
+11.6%
Operating income
-47.3%
—
-9.6%
Net income
-28.2%
—
—
Earnings per share
-24.9%
—
—
Free cash flow per share
-41.0%
—
—
Dividend per share
+89.5%
+66.2%
—
Shares
-4.4%
-0.6%
—
Falling shares are buybacks: each remaining share owns more of the company.
Does it earn more than its capital costs?
Margins say how much of each sale is kept; return on invested capital says how much the business earns on the money it needs to operate. Growth only creates value when that return is above the cost of the capital.
Return on invested capitalCost of capital today · 10.1%
-20.0%0.0%20.0%40.0%
2017
2018
2018
2019Return on invested capital 13.2%
2020Return on invested capital -16.4%
2021Return on invested capital -14.3%
2022Return on invested capital 28.9%
2023Return on invested capital 29.1%
2024Return on invested capital 14.1%
2025Return on invested capital 2.4%
2017201820182019202020212022202320242025
Economic profit
Economic profit
-400.0M-200.0M0200.0M400.0M
2017
2018
2018
2019Economic profit 20.1M
2020Economic profit -333.1M
2021Economic profit -326.2M
2022Economic profit 321.0M
2023Economic profit 374.8M
2024Economic profit 85.0M
2025Economic profit -180.9M
2017201820182019202020212022202320242025
(return on capital − cost of capital) × capital invested: the profit left after paying for the money used. Today's cost of capital is applied to every year, since a past one cannot be rebuilt honestly.
Return on equity
7.1%
Return on assets
4.2%
Asset turnover
1.13×
Overheads (SG&A)
6.2% of revenue
Is the profit cash, and where does the cash go?
Net income is an accounting opinion; free cash flow is what was left in the bank after investing. Stock-based pay does not leave the bank — shareholders pay it through dilution — so it is shown taken off as well.
Net incomeFree cash flowAfter stock-based pay
-200.0M0200.0M400.0M600.0M
2017Net income 0Free cash flow -116.7MAfter stock-based pay -116.7M
2018
2018Net income 126.3MFree cash flow 92.4MAfter stock-based pay 87.0M
2019Net income 39.0MFree cash flow 65.9MAfter stock-based pay 52.3M
2020Net income -115.6MFree cash flow -18.2MAfter stock-based pay -35.4M
2021Net income -179.2MFree cash flow -63.3MAfter stock-based pay -83.3M
2022Net income 399.6MFree cash flow 78.5MAfter stock-based pay 55.4M
2023Net income 556.3MFree cash flow 411.3MAfter stock-based pay 378.3M
2024Net income 316.0MFree cash flow 178.3MAfter stock-based pay 145.9M
2025Net income 147.9MFree cash flow 14.1MAfter stock-based pay -27.8M
2017201820182019202020212022202320242025
Where 10 years of operating cash went, 2017–2025
4.0B generated by the business. Each band is its share of that total.
Reinvested in the business 84%3.4B
Acquisitions 2%90.9M
Dividends 4%175.9M
Share buybacks 15%583.8M
More than it generated: funded with cash or new debt -5%-208.3M
Over the same years it paid 186.6M in stock. 397.3M of the buybacks went beyond offsetting that dilution.
Per share
Earnings per shareFree cash flow per shareDividend per share
$-2.00$0.00$2.00$4.00
2017
2018
2018Earnings per share $0.54Free cash flow per share $0.39Dividend per share $0.03
2019Earnings per share $0.19Free cash flow per share $0.31Dividend per share $0.07
2020Earnings per share $-0.68Free cash flow per share $-0.11Dividend per share $0.03
2021Earnings per share $-1.03Free cash flow per share $-0.36Dividend per share $0.00
2022Earnings per share $2.11Free cash flow per share $0.41Dividend per share $0.05
2023Earnings per share $3.15Free cash flow per share $2.33Dividend per share $0.21
2024Earnings per share $1.87Free cash flow per share $1.05Dividend per share $0.29
2025Earnings per share $0.89Free cash flow per share $0.09Dividend per share $0.33
2017201820182019202020212022202320242025
Shares outstanding
Diluted shares
160.0M180.0M200.0M220.0M240.0M
2017
2018
2018Diluted shares 235.7M
2019Diluted shares 210.5M
2020Diluted shares 170.5M
2021Diluted shares 174.0M
2022Diluted shares 189.3M
2023Diluted shares 176.4M
2024Diluted shares 169.4M
2025Diluted shares 165.4M
2017201820182019202020212022202320242025
How strong is the balance sheet?
Debt is not bad in itself; debt the business cannot service in a bad year is. Net debt is debt minus cash, and below zero the company holds more cash than it owes.
Net debt
-100.0M0100.0M200.0M300.0M
2017Net debt 180.0M
2018
2018Net debt 3.2M
2019Net debt -6.5M
2020Net debt 36.8M
2021Net debt 102.5M
2022Net debt 174.8M
2023Net debt 103.2M
2024Net debt 170.5M
2025Net debt 219.1M
2017201820182019202020212022202320242025
Net debt ÷ EBITDA
0.4×
Interest coverage
2× operating income ÷ interest
Current ratio
1.22 current assets ÷ current liabilities
Cash conversion cycle
—
Three classic screens of the accounts
Each asks a different question of the same statements — is it improving, does it look like a company heading for distress, do the accounts resemble ones that were manipulated. None is a verdict; each shows what moves it.
Piotroski F-score
Is the business improving? Nine yes-or-no tests, this year against last.
4of 9 tests passed
✓ProfitableReturn on assets above zeropassed
✓Cash from operationsOperating cash flow above zeropassed
✕Profitability improvedReturn on assets higher than a year beforefailed
✓Profit backed by cashOperating cash flow above net income (low accruals)passed
✕Less long-term debtLong-term debt as a share of assets fellfailed
✕More liquidCurrent ratio higher than a year beforefailed
✓No new sharesShare count did not growpassed
✕Better gross marginGross margin higher than a year beforefailed
✕Sells more per assetAsset turnover higher than a year beforefailed
Where it misleads: it measures change, not level. An excellent business that stood still for a year scores low; a poor one recovering from a disaster scores high.
Altman Z''-score
Does the balance sheet look like those of companies that went bankrupt?
2.92safe zone
1.12.6
Working capital ÷ assets 0.04 × 6.56+0.29
Retained earnings ÷ assets 0.31 × 3.26+1.02
Operating income ÷ assets 0.02 × 6.72+0.14
Equity ÷ liabilities 1.41 × 1.05+1.48
Where it misleads: buybacks. A company that returns so much cash that its equity turns small or negative sinks the last two ratios without being anywhere near bankruptcy. Banks and insurers do not fit the model at all.
Beneish M-score
Do the accounts resemble those of companies that manipulated their earnings?
-3.05below the -1.78 line
-1.78
Receivables vs sales 1.00 (not reported, set to 1)+0.92
Gross margin slipping 1.23+0.65
Soft assets 1.04+0.42
Sales growth 0.93+0.83
Slower depreciation 1.08+0.12
Overheads vs sales 1.18-0.20
Profit not in cash -0.13-0.61
Leverage rising 1.04-0.34
Where it misleads: fast growth and acquisitions. Sales growth carries a heavy weight, so a company growing 50% a year scores like a suspect without having done anything. It is a screen from a 1999 study, not an accusation.
Where the statements disagree
Cross-checks between the income statement, the balance sheet and the cash flow for the latest year, each with the benign reading and the worrying one.
None of the six cross-checks fires for the latest year: receivables and inventory move with revenue, profit turns into cash, investment keeps up with depreciation, the tax rate is ordinary and debt is moderate.
What is it worth, under which assumptions?
A company is worth the cash it will generate, brought back to today. This model projects revenue with growth that fades over the years, applies a free cash flow margin, and discounts the result at the cost of capital. Every assumption says where it came from, and all of them can be changed.
Value per share, with these assumptions$51.09discounted at 10.1% a year · 56% of it from after year 10
Type a share price on the left to ask the reverse questions: what growth, what margin or what discount rate that price implies.
What the value implies, in the usual multiples
At this model's value
Price ÷ earnings
57.1×
Enterprise value ÷ EBITDA
15.1×
Enterprise value ÷ revenue
2.2×
Free cash flow yield
-0.3%
From cash flows to a value per share
10 years of cash flow, today3.8B
Everything after, today4.9B
The whole business8.7B
Minus net debt-219.1M
What belongs to shareholders8.4B
Divided among 165.4M shares: <strong>$51.09</strong> each.
The projection next to its history
Reported free cash flow after stock pay, then the model's. A projection that looks nothing like the past needs a reason.
ReportedProjected
-500.0M0500.0M1.0B
2017Reported -116.7M
2018
2018Reported 87.0M
2019Reported 52.3M
2020Reported -35.4M
2021Reported -83.3M
2022Reported 55.4M
2023Reported 378.3M
2024Reported 145.9M
2025Reported -27.8M
2026Projected 335.0M
2027Projected 410.4M
2028Projected 492.4M
2029Projected 578.6M
2030Projected 665.4M
2031Projected 748.6M
2032Projected 823.4M
2033Projected 885.2M
2034Projected 929.5M
2035Projected 952.7M
2017201820202022202420262028203020322034
Year by year
2026
2027
2028
2029
2030
2031
2032
2033
2034
2035
Revenue
5.0B
6.1B
7.4B
8.6B
9.9B
11.2B
12.3B
13.2B
13.9B
14.2B
Growth
25.0%
22.5%
20.0%
17.5%
15.0%
12.5%
10.0%
7.5%
5.0%
2.5%
Cash margin
6.7%
6.7%
6.7%
6.7%
6.7%
6.7%
6.7%
6.7%
6.7%
6.7%
Free cash flow
335.0M
410.4M
492.4M
578.6M
665.4M
748.6M
823.4M
885.2M
929.5M
952.7M
Worth today
304.1M
338.2M
368.5M
393.1M
410.4M
419.1M
418.6M
408.5M
389.4M
362.4M
If the least-known inputs move
Value per share as two inputs change at a time. Neighbouring cells that differ a lot are the conclusion: the value depends on numbers nobody knows to a point.
The discount rate and growth forever
discount ↓ · forever →
1.5%
2.0%
2.5%
3.0%
3.5%
9.2%
53
56
60
64
69
9.7%
49
52
55
59
63
10.1%
46
48
51
54
58
10.7%
43
45
47
50
53
11.2%
40
42
44
47
49
Year-one growth and the final margin
margin ↓ · growth →
21.0%
23.0%
25.0%
27.0%
29.0%
5.3%
37
39
43
46
50
6.0%
40
43
47
51
55
6.7%
44
47
51
55
60
7.4%
47
51
55
60
65
8.0%
51
55
60
64
69
All the inputs moving at once
5,000 valuations, each with growth, final margin, discount rate and growth forever drawn at random around the values on the left (spreads of 3.0%, 2.0%, 1.0% and 0.5%). Not a probability — the spreads are assumptions too — but an honest picture of how wide the answer is.
10th percentile$32.93
Median$51.01
90th percentile$75.52
$25.00$50.00$75.00$100.00
Half of the simulations land between <b>$41.14</b> and <b>$62.74</b>; one in ten below $32.93, one in ten above $75.52.
Does the long run make sense?
6.3×The terminal value prices the business in year 10 at 6.3 times that year's EBITDA.
Free growthIn year 10 free cash flow is at or above after-tax operating profit, yet the model grows 2.5% forever. Growth needs reinvestment; this assumes it comes for free, which flatters the terminal value.
56%of the value comes from after year 10. The more of it, the more the answer depends on the part nobody can see.
What lenders charge, after the tax saving on interest: 13.17% × (1 − 24.2%) = <strong>9.98%</strong>.
Weighted by how much of each the company uses (book value (no price given)): <strong>10.15%</strong>, the rate every future cash flow is discounted at.
What it has filed lately
The last twelve months at the SEC, most important first: annual and quarterly reports, events, large holders and insiders.
Every Form 4 filed in the last twelve months, read line by line: 6 filings by 2 people. Open-market purchases and sales are counted apart from awards, option exercises and shares withheld for taxes.
Bought on the open market$250,0091 purchase(s) by 1 insider(s)
Sold on the open market$1.7M7 sale(s) by 1 insider(s)
Under pre-arranged plans100%of the sales followed a 10b5-1 plan set months earlier
A Form 4 says what happened, when, how many shares and at what price. It does not say why: a sale can be diversification, a tax bill or a plan fixed months earlier, and an award is pay, not a purchase. Nothing here is a reason to buy or sell anything.
Which large funds report holding it
From the Form 13F of the 28 institutions followed on this site, as of the end of their last reported quarter. A 13F is filed up to 45 days later and shows only long positions in US-listed shares.
Accounts from the company's own SEC filings; lines some companies do not report are shown as a dash rather than estimated. The risk-free rate is the 10-year US Treasury yield. A DCF is a way of making assumptions explicit, not a forecast: it states what the company would be worth if the assumptions held. The scores are screens that point where to look, not verdicts. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell.