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

Noble Corporation PLC (NYSE:NE) CFO Richard Barker sold 20,000 shares of Noble stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.96, for a total transaction of $859,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 314,781 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,522,991.76. The trade was a 5.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Noble Stock Up 0.3%

NYSE:NE traded up $0.16 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $45.50. 2,461,294 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,376,150. The business has a 50-day moving average of $34.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $30.94. 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 12-month low of $17.40 and a 12-month high of $46.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.24 billion, a PE ratio of 33.70 and a beta of 1.12.

Noble (NYSE:NE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 11th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.15 by ($0.06). The business 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 company’s revenue was down 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.56 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Noble Corporation PLC will post 2.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Noble Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Barclays cut shares of Noble from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $36.00 to $41.00 in a research note on Wednesday. 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 report on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Noble from $33.00 to $41.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday. Fearnley Fonds lowered Noble from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, SEB Equity Research set a $33.00 price target on Noble in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $38.63.

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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Noble

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in 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 acquired a new position in shares of Noble during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Noble by 77.8% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 630 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 2,318 shares during the period. Finally, Strs Ohio acquired a new stake in Noble in the 1st quarter valued at $142,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.14% of the company’s stock.

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.