Topic: How To Invest

Hi there: I would like to request an opinion on SeaDrill. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

SeaDrill Ltd., $32.64, symbol SDRL on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 443.3 million; Market cap: $14.5 billion; www.seadrill.com), is a leading offshore drilling company. Norway-based SeaDrill has a fleet of 60 drilling rigs that can operate in shallow to very deep water. In the three months ended June 30, 2011, SeaDrill’s revenue rose slightly, to $995 million from $993 million a year earlier. Earnings jumped to $645 million, or $1.29 a share, from $329 million, or $0.72 a share. However, the latest quarter included a $416-million pre-tax gain on the sale of securities. Operating earnings, which exclude that gain, rose 12.3%, to $430 million from $383 million. The company’s debt is very high, at $9.7 billion, or 66.9% of its market cap, but it does hold cash of $528 million, or $1.12 a share. SeaDrill only started up in 2005, so it owns modern, high-quality drilling rigs that are in great demand. As a result, the company’s utilization rates are high, in the…