Key Points
- CFO Richard Barker sold 20,000 shares of Noble at an average price of $42.96 (totaling $859,200), reducing his stake by 5.97% to 314,781 shares; the transaction was disclosed in an SEC filing.
- Noble declared a $0.50 quarterly dividend (annualized $2.00, ~4.4% yield) with an ex‑dividend date of March 4, but the payout ratio is very high (~148%), raising questions about sustainability.
- Recent quarter missed expectations — Noble reported $0.09 EPS vs. a $0.15 consensus and revenue of $764.4M (down 17.6% YoY); analysts are mixed with several price‑target increases but a consensus rating of "Hold."
Noble Corporation PLC (NYSE:NE - Get Free Report) Director Charles Sledge sold 2,083 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.63, for a total value of $92,964.29. Following the sale, the director owned 2,084 shares of the company's stock, valued at $93,008.92. This represents a 49.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.
Noble Price Performance
Shares of NE stock opened at $45.50 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.70 and a beta of 1.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.67. Noble Corporation PLC has a fifty-two week low of $17.40 and a fifty-two week high of $46.31. The business's 50 day moving average price is $34.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.94.
Noble (NYSE:NE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.06). Noble had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 2.34%. The business had revenue of $764.41 million during the quarter. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.56 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Noble Corporation PLC will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current year.
Noble Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. Noble's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 148.15%.
Noble News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Noble this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts raising earnings estimates — Zacks notes solid upward revisions to Noble's earnings estimates, which supports a better near‑term EPS outlook and underpins the stock’s momentum. Read More.
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst target upgrades — Several firms have lifted price targets (Susquehanna to $45, BTIG to $42) and JPMorgan raised its PT to $41, signaling improved valuation expectations from some sell‑side shops and providing technical support for the stock. Read More.
- Neutral Sentiment: Dividend yield draws yield‑seeking buyers but raises sustainability questions — Noble declared a $0.50 quarterly dividend (annualized $2.00, ~4.5% yield) with an ex‑dividend date in early March; however the payout ratio is very high (~148%), so income appeal is tempered by concerns about long‑term sustainability. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Barclays downgraded the stock to "Equal Weight" — Barclays cut NE from Overweight to Equal Weight (even while raising its PT), a vote of caution that can reduce buy‑side conviction and weigh on sentiment. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by senior executives — Multiple execs (including an SVP sale of 3,453 shares) disclosed material sales this week; concentrated insider reductions often spook investors and act as a near‑term headwind. Read More.
- Negative Sentiment: Mixed analyst stance keeps upside limited — Several shops have raised targets but many maintain Neutral/Hold ratings (consensus is “Hold”), leaving implied upside modest vs. current levels and keeping the stock tethered to fundamentals and guidance. Read More.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
NE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Fearnley Fonds lowered Noble from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Barclays downgraded shares of Noble from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $36.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Zacks Research raised Noble from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Susquehanna increased their price target on Noble from $32.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Noble from $33.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Noble currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $38.63.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on NE
Institutional Trading of Noble
Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Amalgamated Bank raised its stake in shares of Noble by 663.5% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 36,150 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,022,000 after buying an additional 31,415 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Noble by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 886,766 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,078,000 after buying an additional 9,442 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in Noble by 424.2% in the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 440,342 shares of the company's stock valued at $12,435,000 after acquiring an additional 356,333 shares during the period. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Noble in the 4th quarter valued at $4,902,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Noble by 77.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 630 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 68.14% of the company's stock.
Noble Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Noble Corp. Plc engages in the provision offshore drilling services for oil and gas industry. It focuses on a balanced fleet of floating and jackup rigs and the deployment of drilling rigs in oil and gas basins around the world. The company was founded by Lloyd Noble and Art Olson in 1921 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
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