(RTTNews) - Noble Corporation PLC (NE), a British offshore drilling contractor, said on Monday that it has bagged new contracts for 9 rigs comprising around $1.3 billion of backlog, including a three-year contract for the harsh environment semisubmersible Noble GreatWhite. Robert W. Eifler, CEO of Noble, said: "Additionally, the redeployment of four currently idle deepwater rigs should drive a mea...
(RTTNews) - Noble Corporation PLC (NE), a British offshore drilling contractor, said on Monday that it has bagged new contracts for 9 rigs comprising around $1.3 billion of backlog, including a three-year contract for the harsh environment semisubmersible Noble GreatWhite. Robert W. Eifler, CEO of Noble, said: "Additionally, the redeployment of four currently idle deepwater rigs should drive a meaningful utilization improvement across our fleet, with 92% of our 24 marketed floaters now contracted compared to 75% in our prior fleet status report. While these programs will present incremental one-time capital expenditure requirements in 2026, we expect them to help drive significantly increased fleet EBITDA and free cash flow in future years, which will be supported by a material reduction in capital expenditure beyond 2026." On a combined basis, Noble expects that these contract awards will entail around $50 million of contract preparation capital expenditure for 2026 in addition to the Noble GreatWhite program. The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
Second body found in search for missing swimmers 19 minutes ago Share Save Share Save BBC Flowers were placed along the edge of the beach at Budleigh Salterton The body of a man has been recovered after two swimmers went missing on Christmas Day, police have said. Devon and Cornwall Police said emergency services were called just before 15:00 GMT on Sunday to Exmouth Beach following a report of a ...
Second body found in search for missing swimmers 19 minutes ago Share Save Share Save BBC Flowers were placed along the edge of the beach at Budleigh Salterton The body of a man has been recovered after two swimmers went missing on Christmas Day, police have said. Devon and Cornwall Police said emergency services were called just before 15:00 GMT on Sunday to Exmouth Beach following a report of a possible body seen near the shore. Formal identification is yet to be carried out, but officers said the family of a 64-year-old man from Budleigh Salterton had been informed. The body of a 47-year-old man, thought to be the other of the two swimmers who went missing on 25 December, was recovered on Tuesday. The family of Matthew Upham, owner of an antiques shop in Budleigh Salterton, Devon, previously named him as one of the swimmers. According to a friend, Upham had gone into the sea to help a woman in difficulty. "Matthew is deeply loved and will be forever missed," said his family, thanking emergency services who responded. Singer-songwriter Kate Bush paid tribute to 64-year-old Upham, who she said was one of her "very dearest friends" who she had known for 30 years. Emergency services were called to Budleigh Salterton shortly after 10:25 GMT on 25 December after two men in their 40s and 60s could not be located. The coastguard search operation was called off at about 17:00. RNLI crews as well as coastguard helicopters carried out extensive shoreline and offshore searches and a number of people were safely brought back to shore. They were checked either by paramedics at the scene or taken to hospital as a precaution. Organisers of some Christmas and Boxing Day swims in Devon and Cornwall had postponed or cancelled events due to a yellow weather warning for wind. Follow BBC Devon on X, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to spotlight@bbc.co.uk.
Kiwis/iStock via Getty Images National HealthCare ( NHC ) has had a nice run in the recent months. Total return is 17% in the past 3 months and 51% in the past 6 months: Total Return of NHC vs. S&P 500 (Seeking Alpha) The gains appear to have been driven by earnings growth, with valuation ratios nearly unchanged from year-ago levels. EV/EBITDA is currently in the low double digits, which could ind...
Kiwis/iStock via Getty Images National HealthCare ( NHC ) has had a nice run in the recent months. Total return is 17% in the past 3 months and 51% in the past 6 months: Total Return of NHC vs. S&P 500 (Seeking Alpha) The gains appear to have been driven by earnings growth, with valuation ratios nearly unchanged from year-ago levels. EV/EBITDA is currently in the low double digits, which could indicate that the market is not expecting high earnings growth in the next few years. However, I continue to believe that high growth is the more likely outcome, and NHC remains the largest position in my portfolio. Inpatient stays in rehab hospitals and traditional hospitals are incredibly expensive. Recent trends of moving some of that inpatient burden to far less expensive skilled nursing facilities will continue. The result of this will be a continued increase in nursing home occupancy and patient acuity. For those that may not be familiar with the company, NHC owns and operates skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and independent living facilities. NHC also owns and operates home health, home personal care, and hospice agencies. Skilled nursing facilities are really the heart of the business, contributing approximately 85% of total revenue. Although NHC owns the majority of facilities that it operates, it rents a significant portion from National Health Investors ( NHI ). The master lease expires at the end of 2026, and lease renewal negotiations are ongoing. This article includes: A review of NHC's strong 3rd quarter results and a 4th quarter earnings preview. A section about the lease renewal between NHC and NHI, with a potential solution that would benefit both companies. Valuation using fair value models Potential hidden value in NHC's owned properties Overview and commentary on the primary risks the company faces 3rd Quarter Results and 4th Quarter Preview In November, NHC once again reported strong quarterly earnings . Highlights included adjusted...
A baggy green cap worn by the Australian cricket great Sir Donald Bradman has sold for $460,000 to an anonymous buyer at a Gold Coast auction. Bradman wore the cap during the 1947-48 series against India – his final home Test series before retiring in 1948 with a career batting average of 99.94, earning him the reputation as cricket’s greatest batter. Bradman gifted the cap to the Indian cricketer...
A baggy green cap worn by the Australian cricket great Sir Donald Bradman has sold for $460,000 to an anonymous buyer at a Gold Coast auction. Bradman wore the cap during the 1947-48 series against India – his final home Test series before retiring in 1948 with a career batting average of 99.94, earning him the reputation as cricket’s greatest batter. Bradman gifted the cap to the Indian cricketer SW Sohoni during the series and it remained with his family for generations, never exhibited publicly. It was sold on Monday afternoon by Lloyds Auctions. View image in fullscreen The Sohoni family displays Bradman’s cap before auction. Photograph: Lloyds Auctioneers and Valuers Lee Hames, the chief operating officer of Lloyds Auctioneers and Valuers, called the cap a “holy grail of cricket” before the bidding commenced. Hames said at the auction that Sohoni’s “dying wish was to have the cap return to Australian shores”. “It has been hidden for 75 years, that’s over three generations under lock and key,” he said. “If you were a family member you were only allowed to look at it when you were 16 years old for five minutes.” A spokesperson for Lloyds Auctions said the cap would now remain in Australia and “will be put on display at a prominent museum”. View image in fullscreen Sohoni and Bradman’s names are inscribed in the interior of the cap. Photograph: Lloyds Auctioneers and Valuers On the inside of the cap, the names “D.G. Bradman” and “S.W. Sohoni” are inscribed. Bids for the baggy green started at $1, garnering significant interest from buyers in person and online from around Australia, India and the UK – ultimately selling for $460,000 before the addition of a 16.5% buyer’s premium. “Cherished in the family collection ever since, this cap links you to Don Bradman’s invincible era and a memorable exchange with the Indian squad,” the cap’s auction description said. “Australia dominated, winning 4–0 with one match drawn … part of the post-World War II revival of internat...
Caribbean cannabis growers eye budding domestic sales and exports 5 hours ago Share Save Gemma Handy Business reporter, St John’s, Antigua Share Save Gemma Handy Antiguan cannabis grower Michaelus Tracey says that a lot of effort is put into developing new strains Rub the leaf and inhale the fragrance, Michaelus Tracey is saying. The musky scent of this cannabis plant is distinctly different from ...
Caribbean cannabis growers eye budding domestic sales and exports 5 hours ago Share Save Gemma Handy Business reporter, St John’s, Antigua Share Save Gemma Handy Antiguan cannabis grower Michaelus Tracey says that a lot of effort is put into developing new strains Rub the leaf and inhale the fragrance, Michaelus Tracey is saying. The musky scent of this cannabis plant is distinctly different from the citrusy aroma of another that he is also holding. To the untrained eye, the neat rows of flowering cannabis crops in front of us are indistinguishable from each other. Yet master cultivator Tracey can identify the separate varieties by their smell and the shape of their leaves. Nine strains are being grown here at Pineapple Road, a farm deep in the countryside on the Caribbean island of Antigua. The warm temperatures, abundant sunshine, and high humidity make this prime territory for growing the plants. Intense trials were conducted to produce the various strains, Tracey explains. "We wanted different flavour profiles as well as different effects, but all with a medicinal value - something to help you relax, something to give you more energy, more pain relief, less anxiety." Gemma Handy Cannibis plants thrive in Antigua's warm, sunny conditions Last year marked a decade since Jamaica decriminalised the recreational use of cannabis and legalised its production and sale for medical reasons. Several other Caribbean nations, including the twin island country Antigua and Barbuda in 2018, have since followed suit. Smoking cannabis is emblematic of Caribbean culture, to the extent it has become a cliché. But while the region's affection for the plant is well documented, its status as a leader in the field is less so. Today the region is home to a plethora of legally registered cannabis farms and medicinal dispensaries, where both locals and tourists can purchase the drug if they have a valid medical authorisation card. Yet Prof Rose-Marie Belle Antoine, an expert on the cannab...
Russia’s first domestically-built ice-class tanker is closing in on the US-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 plant, expanding the facility’s fleet of vessels able to transport the fuel in winter. The Alexey Kosygin tanker has completed its monthlong maiden journey across the eastern part of the Northern Sea Route and is preparing to dock at the Novatek PJSC -led plant, according to ship-tracking data compil...
Russia’s first domestically-built ice-class tanker is closing in on the US-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 plant, expanding the facility’s fleet of vessels able to transport the fuel in winter. The Alexey Kosygin tanker has completed its monthlong maiden journey across the eastern part of the Northern Sea Route and is preparing to dock at the Novatek PJSC -led plant, according to ship-tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Once the Alexey Kosygin docks at Arctic LNG 2, it will be only the second ever ice-class tanker to do so. It is rated Arc-7, the highest ice-class ranking, which means the ship can service the plant in the winter. Until now, the only such vessel going to the facility has been the Christophe de Margerie. Designed to be Russia’s largest liquefied natural gas plant, Arctic LNG 2 is central to the country’s ambition to triple annual LNG output to 100 million tons and capture a 20% share of the global market. The addition of another ice-class tanker to the plant’s winter fleet would support LNG production and exports during the season when thick ice covers Arctic waters. The operator and Novatek, the project’s largest shareholder, did not respond to Bloomberg requests for comment on the current or future operations of the vessel. With a design capacity of nearly 20 million tons per year, Arctic LNG 2 began producing super-chilled fuel at the end of 2023 but only started exports in the summer of 2024 after western sanctions delayed shipments. During winter, when ice thickens along the Northern Sea Route, only tankers with reinforced hulls can load cargoes at Arctic LNG 2. Most vessels servicing the facility are not designed to operate in such conditions, and western restrictions have made it difficult to procure additional ice-class ships. Domestic construction of ice-class tankers has also taken longer than expected due to limited expertise in Russia. The Alexey Kosygin, built at the Zvezda shipyard in the country’s Far East, was originally scheduled for deliver...