Noble Corporation Stock Downgraded (NE)

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Noble Corporation (NYSE:NE) has been downgraded by TheStreet Ratings from buy to hold. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, increase in net income and good cash flow from operations. However, as a counter to these strengths, we also find weaknesses including disappointing return on equity and a generally disappointing performance in the stock itself.

Highlights from the ratings report include:

• The revenue growth came in higher than the industry average of 14.3%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 37.8%. Growth in the company's revenue appears to have helped boost the earnings per share.
• The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Energy Equipment & Services industry. The net income increased by 120.5% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from $54.50 million to $120.18 million.
• Despite currently having a low debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, it is higher than that of the industry average, inferring that management of debt levels may need to be evaluated further. Despite the fact that NE's debt-to-equity ratio is mixed in its results, the company's quick ratio of 1.53 is high and demonstrates strong liquidity.
• NE has underperformed the S&P 500 Index, declining 17.74% from its price level of one year ago. The fact that the stock is now selling for less than others in its industry in relation to its current earnings is not reason enough to justify a buy rating at this time.
• The company's current return on equity has slightly decreased from the same quarter one year prior. This implies a minor weakness in the organization. When compared to other companies in the Energy Equipment & Services industry and the overall market, NOBLE CORP's return on equity is below that of both the industry average and the S&P 500.

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Noble Corporation operates as an offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry. The company offers contract drilling services for oil and gas wells. The company has a P/E ratio of 20.2, above the average energy industry P/E ratio of 19.7 and above the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Noble has a market cap of $8.49 billion and is part of the basic materials sector and energy industry. Shares are up 12.7% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.

You can view the full Noble Ratings Report or get investment ideas from our investment research center.
-- Written by a member of TheStreet Ratings Staff

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