Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Analysts

Shares of Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL) have been given a consensus rating of “Reduce” by the seven research firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $56.83.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VAL. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of Valaris from $61.00 to $55.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Evercore ISI cut shares of Valaris from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $87.00 to $59.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Barclays reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $49.00 price objective (down from $59.00) on shares of Valaris in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Valaris from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. began coverage on shares of Valaris in a research report on Friday, December 6th. They set an “underweight” rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valaris

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VAL. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Valaris in the third quarter worth $25,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 622 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,177 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valaris by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,758 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,000 after buying an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valaris by 326.9% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,874 shares of the company’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 1,435 shares in the last quarter. 96.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valaris Trading Down 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE VAL opened at $42.66 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 1.61. Valaris has a 52-week low of $39.90 and a 52-week high of $84.20. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $45.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $50.90. The stock has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.10.

Valaris (NYSE:VAL) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $1.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.20 by $0.68. Valaris had a net margin of 47.52% and a return on equity of 13.67%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Valaris will post 4.59 EPS for the current year.

Valaris Company Profile

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.