10 Best Oil & Gas Drilling Stocks to Buy

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1. Noble Corporation plc (NYSE:NE)

On February 11, 2026, Noble Corporation plc (NYSE:NE) reported fourth-quarter sales of $764 million, including $705 million in contract drilling services revenue, with a net income of $87 million and adjusted EBITDA of $232 million. The corporation earned $187 million in operating cash flow and $35 million in free cash flow, while spending $152 million on capital expenditures. The firm’s backlog for full-year 2025 has grown to $7.5 billion, with around $1.3 billion in recent contract awards secured since October.

The company finalized the divestiture of five jackups for $360 million and plans to finish the Noble Resolve divestiture in Q3 2026. Noble Corporation plc (NYSE:NE) concluded 2025 with $2 billion in total debt and $471 million in cash, having repurchased $20 million in shares and paid out $318 million in dividends. The board declared a $0.50 per share dividend for the first quarter of 2026. It also provided a 2026 revenue forecast of $2.8 billion to $3.0 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $940 million to $1.02 billion.

Noble Corporation plc (NYSE:NE) is an offshore drilling contractor for the oil and gas industry globally. It offers contract drilling services through its fleet of mobile offshore drilling equipment. The company also runs drilling rigs like floaters and jackups.

While we acknowledge the potential of NE to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NE and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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