Noble Stock: Required Jackup Sale To Shelf Drilling Looks Bad (NYSE:NE)

Observe: Noble Company (NYSE:NE) has been coated by me beforehand, so traders ought to view this as an replace to my earlier articles on the corporate.

On Thursday, main offshore driller Noble Company (“Noble”) introduced the sale of 5 jackup rigs to competitor Shelf Drilling (OTCPK:SHLLF) for $375 million in money in an anticipated transfer to handle regulatory considerations concerning its proposed merger with Maersk Drilling:

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The Treatment Rig Sale Settlement contains the rigs Noble Hans Deul, Noble Sam Hartley, Noble Sam Turner, Noble Houston Colbert, and Noble Lloyd Noble (the “Treatment Rigs”) and all associated assist and infrastructure. Related offshore and onshore workers are anticipated to switch with the Treatment Rigs. Following the sale, Noble expects to proceed to carry out the present drilling program for the Noble Lloyd Noble below a bareboat constitution association with Shelf Drilling till the second quarter of 2023 when the first time period of its present drilling contract is predicted to finish. The constitution association would cross the financial advantage of the drilling contract to Shelf Drilling. Drilling contracts for different Treatment Rigs are anticipated to be novated to the Purchaser, topic to the purchasers’ consent. Noble will present sure customary transition assist providers to the Purchaser for a restricted time frame. The Purchaser is predicted to finance the acquisition by fairness and debt financings by the Purchaser and Shelf Drilling, however the buy shouldn’t be conditioned on such financing. The Treatment Rig Sale is predicted to shut promptly following closing of the Enterprise Mixture (and following receipt of CMA approval).

Whereas each Noble and Maersk Drilling have been fairly clear about their perception within the monetary and strategic rationale underpinning the transaction remaining intact and compelling for all stakeholders regardless of the required divestment of nearly all of Noble’s jackup rigs, I’m very disenchanted by the phrases of the proposed transaction.

Take into account that Shelf Drilling not solely will get 5 fashionable jackup rigs together with all associated assist and infrastructure but in addition picks up an estimated $250 million in backlog.

To place issues in perspective: The Noble Lloyd Noble is among the many largest and highest-specification jackup rigs on the earth and was delivered to the corporate at an estimated price of just about $700 million simply six years in the past.

The lack of the corporate’s flagship and sole NCS-compliant jackup rig is especially disappointing given the superior money era potential of the unit.

The required sale of the Noble Houston Colbert additionally hurts because the rig only recently was awarded a 3.5-year contract offshore Qatar.

In sum, Shelf Drilling will get a completely operational subsidiary able to compete within the North Sea, an space the place the corporate has not been lively thus far whereas Noble loses 1 / 4 of its whole fleet.

Fairly frankly, I’m not positive if the projected advantages of the proposed mixture with Maersk Drilling will actually make up for the lack of 5 fashionable jackup rigs and their sizeable backlog.

Anyway, the $375 million in money proceeds from the sale will additional bolster the mixed firm’s liquidity.

Noble now expects to launch the alternate supply for shares of Maersk Drilling in August and the closing of the merger to happen close to the top of Q3, an roughly three-month delay relative to the unique timeline.

Please observe that the UK antitrust watchdog has not but accepted the enterprise mixture. As well as, completion of the merger stays topic to acceptance by holders of at the very least 80% of Maersk Drilling shares.

Backside Line

Suffice to say, Noble seems to be on the receiving finish of this deal as Shelf Drilling not solely acquires a fleet of contemporary jackup rigs but in addition enjoys the advantages of choosing up a completely operational subsidiary and an honest quantity of backlog.

Frankly talking, I’d have most popular Noble to keep away from this fireplace sale and reasonably terminate the merger with Maersk Drilling however each corporations have been steadfast of their perception within the strategic rationale of the transaction.

Properly-founded recession fears have hit oil-related shares exhausting in current weeks however I don’t anticipate any main affect on offshore drilling budgets at the moment.

That stated, with trade shares often buying and selling in shut correlation with oil costs, traders want to arrange for current volatility to proceed.

Given the unsure outlook, I’ve lowered my publicity to oil-service and delivery shares fairly meaningfully in current weeks. Nonetheless, I stay constructive on the offshore drilling trade going ahead.

Two weeks in the past, I’d have seemingly downgraded Noble based mostly on the disappointing divestment phrases however after the current 30% sell-off, I made a decision to maintain my “purchase” ranking on the shares for now.