Noble (NYSE:NE) Director Sells $92,964.29 in Stock

Noble Corporation PLC (NYSE:NE) Director Charles Sledge sold 2,083 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $44.63, for a total transaction of $92,964.29. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $93,008.92. The trade was a 49.99% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Noble Stock Up 0.3%

Noble stock traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $45.50. The stock had a trading volume of 2,461,294 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,376,150. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $34.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $30.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.70 and a beta of 1.12. Noble Corporation PLC has a 12-month low of $17.40 and a 12-month high of $46.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 1.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

Noble (NYSE:NE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $764.41 million for the quarter. Noble had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 2.34%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.56 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Noble Corporation PLC will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Noble Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. Noble’s dividend payout ratio is presently 148.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

NE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Noble from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Fearnley Fonds downgraded shares of Noble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Noble in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Evercore set a $45.00 price target on Noble in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Noble from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.63.

Key Noble News

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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Noble

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NE. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Noble by 156.4% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 864 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 527 shares during the period. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in Noble in the third quarter worth about $40,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Noble by 77.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 630 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Noble by 819.1% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 2,318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of Noble during the 1st quarter valued at about $142,000. 68.14% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Noble

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.