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Seadrill Names Samir Ali as New Chief Executive

Story Highlights
  • Seadrill named Samir Ali CEO on March 12, 2026, highlighting his deep commercial and financial background.
  • The board boosted Ali’s pay and severance, aligning incentives with shareholder returns and leadership stability.
  • Looking for the best stocks to buy? Follow the recommendations of top-performing analysts.
Seadrill Names Samir Ali as New Chief Executive

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Seadrill Limited ( (SDRL) ) has issued an update.

On March 12, 2026, Seadrill Limited’s board appointed Samir Ali as president and chief executive officer, replacing Simon Johnson with immediate effect, as part of a leadership transition at the offshore driller. Ali, 40, previously served as Seadrill’s executive vice president and chief commercial officer and brings experience from Diamond Offshore, Bain Capital, and Simmons & Company, underscoring the board’s emphasis on commercial, financial, and capital-markets expertise at the top of the company.

In conjunction with his appointment, Seadrill significantly enhanced Ali’s compensation and severance package, including a higher base salary, performance-linked annual bonus opportunity, and a $3.5 million mix of performance- and time-vested equity awards. The revised employment terms, including expanded severance protections, signal the board’s effort to align the new CEO’s incentives with shareholder returns and provide stability through potential change-of-control scenarios, while former CEO Johnson is set to receive contractual severance benefits under a forthcoming separation agreement.

The most recent analyst rating on (SDRL) stock is a Hold with a $46.00 price target. To see the full list of analyst forecasts on Seadrill Limited stock, see the SDRL Stock Forecast page.

Spark’s Take on SDRL Stock

According to Spark, TipRanks’ AI Analyst, SDRL is a Neutral.

The score is held back primarily by weak 2025 profitability and cash flow (net loss, negative EBITDA, and negative free cash flow), partially offset by a stronger technical uptrend. Earnings call guidance and backlog coverage support a potential 2026–2027 improvement, but valuation is challenging with a very high P/E and no dividend yield provided.

To see Spark’s full report on SDRL stock, click here.

More about Seadrill Limited

Seadrill Limited is a global provider of deepwater oil and gas drilling services, operating a modern offshore rig fleet staffed by experienced crews. The company focuses on safely and efficiently unlocking offshore hydrocarbon resources for national, integrated, and independent oil companies, leveraging advanced drilling technologies in complex deepwater environments.

Average Trading Volume: 928,432

Technical Sentiment Signal: Buy

Current Market Cap: $2.81B

For a thorough assessment of SDRL stock, go to TipRanks’ Stock Analysis page.

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