Charles Sledge Sells 2,083 Shares of Noble (NYSE:NE) Stock

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

Noble Price Performance

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 1 year low of $17.40 and a 1 year high of $46.31. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $30.97.

Noble (NYSE:NE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.15 by ($0.06). The company 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.56 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Noble Corporation PLC will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Noble Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.4%. Noble’s payout ratio is 148.15%.

More 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 the company. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in Noble by 424.2% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 440,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $12,435,000 after purchasing an additional 356,333 shares during the last quarter. Hara Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Noble during the fourth quarter worth $4,902,000. Natixis Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Noble in the 3rd quarter worth about $3,935,000. Hosking Partners LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Noble by 10.0% in the 4th quarter. Hosking Partners LLP now owns 1,140,328 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,203,000 after buying an additional 103,477 shares during the period. Finally, Sagefield Capital LP boosted its holdings in shares of Noble by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Sagefield Capital LP now owns 182,844 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,164,000 after buying an additional 52,261 shares during the period. 68.14% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on NE shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Noble in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Fearnley Fonds lowered Noble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. SEB Equity Research set a $33.00 price objective on Noble in a report on Tuesday, January 27th. Barclays lowered Noble from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $36.00 to $41.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, BTIG Research raised their price target on shares of Noble from $35.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. 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.com, the company presently has an average 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.