Valaris (NYSE:VAL) Raised to Sell at StockNews.com

Valaris (NYSE:VAL) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com to a “sell” rating in a report released on Thursday.

VAL has been the topic of a number of other reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Valaris from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Susquehanna cut their target price on Valaris from $61.00 to $55.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on Valaris in a research report on Friday, December 6th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Barclays reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $49.00 price objective (down from $59.00) on shares of Valaris in a research note on Wednesday, December 18th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered Valaris from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $87.00 to $59.00 in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.50.

Valaris Trading Down 6.2 %

Shares of Valaris stock opened at $41.80 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $45.42 and a 200 day moving average of $50.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 1.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.13 and a beta of 1.10. Valaris has a fifty-two week low of $39.90 and a fifty-two week high of $84.20.

Valaris (NYSE:VAL) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.68. The firm had revenue of $584.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $578.01 million. Valaris had a return on equity of 17.67% and a net margin of 15.81%. As a group, research analysts predict that Valaris will post 5.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VAL. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Valaris in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Valaris by 518.3% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 742 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 622 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Valaris by 395.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the company’s stock worth $65,000 after acquiring an additional 1,177 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Valaris by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,758 shares of the company’s stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Valaris by 326.9% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,874 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 1,435 shares during the last quarter. 96.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Valaris

Valaris Limited, together with its subsidiaries, provides offshore contract drilling services Gulf of Mexico, South America, North Sea, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates through four segments: Floaters, Jackups, ARO, and Other. It owns an offshore drilling rig fleet, which include drillships, dynamically positioned semisubmersible rigs, moored semisubmersible rig, and jackup rigs.