Why Analysts Are Split as Nabors Industries Story Shifts With New Contracts and Guidance

Why Analysts Are Split as Nabors Industries’ Story Shifts With New Contracts and Guidance

Nabors Industries’ stock narrative has shifted following a modest rise in its consensus analyst price target from $40.25 to $41.63. This adjustment, influenced by recent analyst updates and company guidance, reflects a balance of optimism and lingering caution within the sector. Stay tuned to learn how investors can remain informed as the story behind Nabors Industries continues to evolve.

Recent analyst commentary on Nabors Industries reflects a mix of optimism and caution as several firms update their views and price targets following new company guidance and evolving sector dynamics.

🐂 Bullish Takeaways

  • Morgan Stanley, led by analyst Daniel Kutz, raised its price target for Nabors Industries to $55 from $50 while maintaining an Overweight rating. The revision highlights a favorable view of the company’s prospects and echoes expectations that upcoming quarterly results and guidance will be broadly in line with consensus estimates.

  • Analysts reward Nabors for its execution and ability to provide clear, updated guidance. This has supported confidence in its near-term outlook despite ongoing sector volatility.

🐻 Bearish Takeaways

  • Barclays increased its price target to $36 from $29 but continues to maintain an Underweight rating. This signals ongoing skepticism about outperformance potential. The update was largely driven by Nabors’ revised guidance presented at their recent investor event.

  • Piper Sandler, with analyst Derek Podhaizer, nudged its price target to $32 from $30 and also kept an Underweight stance. Their commentary points to persistent industry crosscurrents, including U.S. Land deflation, international deceleration, and a mixed offshore outlook as factors dampening enthusiasm for significant upward revaluation.

  • Both Barclays and Piper Sandler express concerns that sector headwinds and the current valuation may limit meaningful upside in the near term.

Do your thoughts align with the Bull or Bear Analysts? Perhaps you think there’s more to the story. Head to the Simply Wall St Community to discover more perspectives or begin writing your own Narrative!

NYSE:NBR Community Fair Values as at Oct 2025
NYSE:NBR Community Fair Values as at Oct 2025
  • Caturus Energy has awarded Nabors Industries a multi-year contract for the deployment of its PACE-X Ultra X33 rig, recognized as the most powerful onshore drilling system in the United States. The agreement supports Caturus Energy’s objective to achieve 1 billion cubic feet of gas equivalent per day in production by 2029, focusing operations in Texas’s Eagle Ford and Austin Chalk formations.

  • Nabors’ PACE-X Ultra X33 rig introduces significant capability enhancements, including a one million-pound mast rating, a racking capacity of up to 35,000 feet, and upgraded mud pumps. These features establish new industry performance standards and allow for drilling in more technically advanced and challenging locations.

  • The X33 rig incorporates Cat Dynamic Gas Blending technology, enabling the substitution of natural gas for diesel during drilling. This approach is expected to reduce emissions and fuel costs and offers both environmental and operational advantages.

  • Nabors Industries reported no share repurchases during the April to June 2025 quarter, concluding its ongoing buyback program which began in August 2015. Over the life of the program, the company repurchased a total of 14,012,000 shares, amounting to $121.27 million.