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

Noble Corporation PLC (NYSE:NE) Director Charles Sledge sold 2,083 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.63, for a total value of $92,964.29. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Noble Stock Performance

NE opened at $45.50 on Monday. Noble Corporation PLC has a 1-year low of $17.40 and a 1-year high of $46.31. The stock has a market cap of $7.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.70 and a beta of 1.12. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $34.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 1.67 and a quick ratio of 1.67.

Noble (NYSE:NE) last posted its 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). Noble had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 2.34%. The business had revenue of $764.41 million for the quarter. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.56 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Noble Corporation PLC will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Noble Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on NE shares. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Noble from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Zacks Research upgraded Noble from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays lowered Noble from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $36.00 to $41.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. BTIG Research upped their target price on Noble from $35.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Noble from $33.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.63.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Noble

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew 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 valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 527 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in Noble in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Noble by 77.8% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 630 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Noble by 819.1% during the second 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in shares of Noble during the 1st quarter worth approximately $142,000. 68.14% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Noble

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.

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.