Noble Corporation PLC (NYSE:NE) Receives $38.63 Average PT from Analysts

Noble Corporation PLC (NYSE:NE) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, ten have issued a hold recommendation and one has given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $38.6250.

Several analysts have issued reports on NE shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Noble from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays cut shares of Noble from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $36.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Evercore set a $45.00 price target on Noble in a research note on Friday, February 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Noble from $33.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Noble in a research report on Monday, December 29th.

Noble Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:NE opened at $45.50 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $34.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.97. The company has a market cap of $7.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.70 and a beta of 1.12. Noble has a one year low of $17.40 and a one year high of $46.31. 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 (NYSE:NE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $764.41 million during the quarter. Noble had a return on equity of 2.34% and a net margin of 6.60%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.56 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Noble will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Noble Dividend Announcement

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

Noble News Summary

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.

Insider Buying and Selling at Noble

In other Noble news, CFO Richard B. Barker sold 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.96, for a total transaction of $859,200.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 314,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,522,991.76. This trade represents a 5.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Mikkel Ipsen sold 3,453 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.56, for a total value of $150,412.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,854 shares in the company, valued at approximately $516,360.24. This trade represents a 22.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 78,805 shares of company stock valued at $3,411,254 over the last quarter. 1.20% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Noble

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Noble by 156.4% during the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 864 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 527 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC bought a new stake in Noble during the third quarter worth $40,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Noble by 77.8% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 630 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Noble by 819.1% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,601 shares of the company’s stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 2,318 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio bought a new position in shares of Noble in the 1st quarter valued at $142,000. 68.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Noble Company Profile

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.