Valaris (NYSE:VAL) Trading Down 7.2% – Time to Sell?

Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL)’s stock price traded down 7.2% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $77.07 and last traded at $77.1020. 146,523 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 89% from the average session volume of 1,277,848 shares. The stock had previously closed at $83.05.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VAL. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Valaris from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Valaris from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. BTIG Research lowered shares of Valaris from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Pareto Securities cut Valaris from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $80.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valaris has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $63.19.

Valaris Stock Down 0.1%

The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $94.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $80.38. The firm has a market cap of $5.43 billion, a PE ratio of 5.50 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.55.

Valaris (NYSE:VAL) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The company reported ($0.24) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.05) by ($0.19). Valaris had a return on equity of 12.31% and a net margin of 45.37%.The company had revenue of $465.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $443.75 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($0.53) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 25.0% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Valaris Limited will post 3.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Valaris

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VAL. DV Trading LLC increased its stake in Valaris by 5,533.3% during the 1st quarter. DV Trading LLC now owns 16,900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,657,000 after purchasing an additional 16,600 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of Valaris by 103.4% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 55,868 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,481,000 after buying an additional 28,400 shares in the last quarter. Amundi purchased a new stake in shares of Valaris during the first quarter valued at approximately $787,000. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its holdings in shares of Valaris by 23.1% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 74,181 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,273,000 after buying an additional 13,897 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Valaris by 7.1% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 13,589 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,332,000 after acquiring an additional 901 shares in the last quarter. 96.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Valaris

Valaris PLC is a leading provider of offshore drilling services to the global energy industry. The company operates a diverse fleet of mobile offshore drilling units, including drillships, semisubmersibles and jackup rigs, designed to support exploration and production activities in deepwater, ultra-deepwater and harsh‐environment settings. Valaris serves a wide range of international oil and gas customers, offering turnkey drilling solutions, project management and advanced technology integration to enhance operational efficiency and safety.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Valaris maintains a significant presence in key offshore basins around the world.