Valaris (NYSE:VAL) Upgraded by StockNews.com to “Sell” Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valaris (NYSE:VAL) to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on Valaris from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Valaris from $48.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 19th. Susquehanna lowered their target price on shares of Valaris from $47.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Valaris from $55.00 to $50.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Two research 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 currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $49.17.

Valaris Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE:VAL opened at $38.91 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a PE ratio of 7.57 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Valaris has a 12-month low of $27.15 and a 12-month high of $84.20.

Valaris (NYSE:VAL) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.53) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.10 by ($1.63). Valaris had a return on equity of 17.40% and a net margin of 15.81%. The company had revenue of $620.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $582.87 million. Valaris’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Valaris will post 3.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valaris

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Valaris by 398.5% during the first quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 86,149 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,382,000 after acquiring an additional 68,867 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Valaris by 244.2% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 115,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,523,000 after purchasing an additional 81,737 shares during the period. Tejara Capital Ltd grew its position in Valaris by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Tejara Capital Ltd now owns 115,220 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,524,000 after purchasing an additional 2,815 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Valaris by 20.0% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,761,369 shares of the company’s stock valued at $108,412,000 after purchasing an additional 460,792 shares during the period. Finally, Moerus Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valaris during the first quarter valued at approximately $18,314,000. 96.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.