Noble (NYSE:NE) CFO Sells $859,200.00 in Stock

Noble Corporation PLC (NYSE:NE) CFO Richard Barker sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $42.96, for a total value of $859,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 314,781 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,522,991.76. This trade represents a 5.97% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Noble Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE NE opened at $45.50 on Monday. 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 Corporation PLC has a fifty-two week low of $17.40 and a fifty-two week high of $46.31. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $34.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $30.99. The stock has a market cap of $7.24 billion, a PE ratio of 33.70 and a beta of 1.12.

Noble (NYSE:NE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was down 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.56 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Noble Corporation PLC will post 2.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Noble Dividend Announcement

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

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 institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in NE. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Noble by 156.4% during the third 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 last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 630 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Noble in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Systematic Financial Management LP raised its stake in Noble by 0.8% during the second quarter. Systematic Financial Management LP now owns 540,535 shares of the company’s stock worth $14,351,000 after acquiring an additional 4,435 shares during the period. 68.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price target on Noble from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Noble from $33.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. SEB Equity Research set a $33.00 price target on shares of Noble in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Zacks Research raised shares of Noble from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Noble Financial downgraded shares of Noble to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.63.

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.