We recently published a list of the 11 Most Promising Small-Cap Stocks According to Analysts. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Seadrill Ltd. (NYSE:SDRL) stands against other promising small-cap stocks.

Robert Teeter of Silvercrest Asset Management recently appeared in an interview to express that he thinks small-cap stocks are currently facing a choppy market, but he also acknowledged that he anticipates a rally later in the year. Based on this sentiment, he advised clients on the importance of diversification within the S&P 500 and pointed to opportunities in international markets. We covered his stance in greater detail in one of our other articles, 10 Best Small-Cap Value Stocks to Buy Now. Here’s an excerpt from it:

“He noted that the Trump trade initially boosted small caps due to expectations of economic acceleration and lower interest rates, both of which are favorable for these companies. However, policy uncertainty and weaker-than-expected economic data have delayed their rally. Teeter believes that small caps will come into their own later in the year, but for now, they are facing a choppy market with significant rotation.”

However, later on March 26, Villere & Co. Portfolio Manager George Young joined ‘Market Domination Overtime’ on Yahoo Finance to discuss why investors should be looking at small-cap stocks. George Young stated that small caps currently appear cheap and have been underperforming relative to larger stocks. He highlighted that small-cap stocks have been inexpensive for a while. To support his stance, he pointed out that last year, the S&P 500 rose about 25%, while small-cap stocks increased by only 11%. He explained that this disparity suggests a regression to the mean at some point, which means that the valuation gap between small caps and large caps should eventually narrow. Young also noted a shift in market dynamics during Q1 of this year. While the S&P 500 was down ~2% then, the S&P 500 excluding the MAG7 stocks was actually up ~2%. He described this change as a relatively usual once, since stock market leadership often rotates between sectors and types of stocks. Young particularly favored the small-cap sector when questioned about long-term and steady investments.

Our Methodology

We sifted through the Finviz stock screener to compile a list of the top small-cap stocks that were trading between $300 million and $2 billion, and that had the highest upside potential (at least 40%). The stocks are ranked in ascending order of their upside potential. We have also added the hedge fund sentiment for each stock, as of Q4 2024, which was sourced from Insider Monkey’s database.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).

Drilling rig silhouetted against a setting sun in an offshore location.

Seadrill Ltd. (NYSE:SDRL)

Market Capitalization as of April 23: $1.25 billion

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 42

Average Upside Potential as of April 23: 126.03%

Seadrill Ltd. (NYSE:SDRL) provides offshore drilling services to the oil and gas industry worldwide. It owns and operates drill ships and semi-submersible rigs for operations in shallow and ultra-deep water in benign and harsh environments. It serves oil super-majors, state-owned national oil companies, and independent oil and gas companies.

Seadrill Ltd. (NYSE:SDRL) secured two significant long-term contract awards in Brazil in December 2024, which are to commence in 2026. These added $1 billion to the backlog and included a mobilization fee exceeding $70 million. These awards for the West Jupiter and the West Telus are for 3-year terms each with Petrobras.

At the end of 2024, the company reported a $1.3 billion contracted backlog, which saw a net increase of $700 million during the period. This backlog provides revenue visibility, which extends meaningfully through 2028 and into 2029, with ~90% of the midpoint of the 2025 revenue guidance ($1.3 to $1.36 billion) already secured within this backlog.

Despite broader energy sector headwinds, Patient Capital Management is positive on the company and stated the following regarding Seadrill Limited (NYSE:SDRL) in its Q3 2024 investor letter:

“Energy names disappointed in the quarter following commodity prices lower throughout the period. We took the opportunity to add to our highest conviction ideas. We look to names that have idiosyncratic opportunities and are attractive in a variety of different commodity price environments. Many see risk to energy prices over the next year as supply is expected to outstrip demand by 1.3mb/d even before assuming any incremental OPEC supply comes onto the market. With commodities, consensus is rarely right. We assess companies on through cycle returns and normalized prices. From this perspective, we see a handful of attractive opportunities, including Energy Transfer (ET), Seadrill Limited (NYSE:SDRL) and Kosmos (KOS).

Seadrill benefits from a consolidated industry, with more rational players, and an emerging supply and demand imbalance. We think over time as offshore drilling plays a bigger role as the marginal producer, Seadrill will benefit from more attractive contract prices.

Seadrill Limited (SDRL) is the fourth largest pure play deepwater drilling specialist. The company emerged from bankruptcy in February 2022 with a net cash position. The company is set to benefit from limited supply and increasing demand in the deepwater drilling rig market. Nearly half of all deepwater drilling rigs in the world were scrapped during the last decade. In addition, player consolidation puts the industry in a more rational position than we have seen historically. As land-based oil production growth comes under pressure, offshore production is receiving renewed interest. With a highly specialized rig base, the company is benefiting from increasing prices which are leading to strong FCF yields given the limited need for CAPEX. The company has committed to returning 50% of free cash flow to shareholders via dividends and buybacks. Over the last 12-months, the company has reduced shares outstanding by 17%. As old contracts roll-over and new contracts are signed at the higher day rates, operating profit and FCF are expected to expand dramatically. Seadrill could either consolidate the space or be acquired.”

Overall, SDRL ranks 4th on our list of the most promising small-cap stocks according to analysts. While we acknowledge the growth potential of SDRL, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than SDRL but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.