Ultra-deepwater Drilling Will Rebound With Brazilian And West African Pipelines

Key Takeaways

• Sustained global demand for hydrocarbons, large offshore project pipelines, and sector consolidation are expected to drive higher rig utilization, boost revenue visibility, and strengthen margins.
  
• Fleet modernization, operational efficiencies, and diversification into energy transition projects are set to enhance market opportunities, reduce earnings volatility, and improve free cash flow.
  
• Sustained market weakness, increased competition, and macro uncertainty threaten Noble's revenue, margins, and future market share, especially if demand recovery is delayed.

Catalysts

Operates as an offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry worldwide.

• Large offshore project pipelines in South America (notably Brazil), West Africa, and other regions are set to drive a rebound in ultra-deepwater drilling activity by late 2026–2027 due to global energy demand growth, supporting higher rig utilization and dayrates, which is likely to boost Noble's future revenue and EBITDA.
  
• Persistent reliance on hydrocarbons amid a slow transition to renewables-and intensified focus on energy security by major economies-underpins sustained offshore investment, ensuring medium
• to long-term demand for Noble's services, positively impacting revenue visibility and backlog.
  
• Noble's continued fleet high-grading, capacity rationalization, and successful cost synergy capture (notably post-Diamond integration) are expected to lower idle costs and improve operating efficiency, further expanding both net margins and free cash flow.
  
• Strategic contract wins in energy transition projects (e.g., carbon capture and offshore wind) demonstrate diversification and position Noble to capture new market opportunities, supporting top-line growth and reducing earnings cyclicality.
  
• Optionality from sector consolidation-coupled with disciplined capital allocation and a strong balance sheet-positions Noble to gain market share and enhance pricing power, directly supporting margin resilience and improved long-term earnings.

Noble Future Earnings and Revenue Growth

Assumptions

• Analysts are assuming Noble's revenue will grow by 2.1% annually over the next 3 years.
• Analysts assume that profit margins will increase from 9.4% today to 10.1% in 3 years time.
• Analysts expect earnings to reach $352.2 million (and earnings per share of $2.41) by about August 2028, up from $309.0 million today. However, there is a considerable amount of disagreement amongst the analysts with the most bullish expecting $519 million in earnings, and the most bearish expecting $228 million.
• In order for the above numbers to justify the analysts price target, the company would need to trade at a PE ratio of 19.0x on those 2028 earnings, up from 13.7x today. This future PE is greater than the current PE for the US Energy Services industry at 13.6x.
• Analysts expect the number of shares outstanding to decline by 0.96% per year for the next 3 years.
• To value all of this in today's terms, we will use a discount rate of 8.32%, as per the Simply Wall St company report.

Noble Future Earnings Per Share Growth

Risks

• Near-term softness in the offshore drilling market is causing a persistent white space for rigs, with idle periods and some options not being exercised, directly leading to lower revenue and sequentially lower adjusted EBITDA into 2026.
  
• Increasing macro uncertainty and volatility in upstream spending, driven by oil price fluctuations and global political tensions, create further unpredictability in customer capital expenditures, which can suppress Noble's backlog conversion and earnings visibility.
  
• Ongoing fleet rationalization and asset sales, while improving cash flow in the short term, may reduce long-term revenue potential and market share if Noble is left with fewer high-quality rigs to capture demand when/if it returns, especially if the market rebounds slower than management anticipates.
  
• Muted market conditions and fiscal or regulatory headwinds, especially in key jackup regions like the UK North Sea, will likely persist and limit Noble's ability to maintain or grow its jackup segment earnings contribution, putting downward pressure on segment revenue and margin stability.
  
• Aggressive competitive bidding for gap-filler work among contractors, and risk of further oversupply of rigs on the lower end of specification, may drive spot day rates down in the interim, eroding revenue per rig and compressing net margins until the expected late-2026/2027 demand recovery materializes.

Valuation

• The analysts have a consensus price target of $34.2 for Noble based on their expectations of its future earnings growth, profit margins and other risk factors. However, there is a degree of disagreement amongst analysts, with the most bullish reporting a price target of $40.0, and the most bearish reporting a price target of just $30.0.
• In order for you to agree with the analyst's consensus, you'd need to believe that by 2028, revenues will be $3.5 billion, earnings will come to $352.2 million, and it would be trading on a PE ratio of 19.0x, assuming you use a discount rate of 8.3%.
• Given the current share price of $26.62, the analyst price target of $34.2 is 22.2% higher.
• We always encourage you to reach your own conclusions though. So sense check these analyst numbers against your own assumptions and expectations based on your understanding of the business and what you believe is probable.