Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Buys Shares of 18,700 Valaris Limited $VAL

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 18,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,833,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hosking Partners LLP raised its holdings in Valaris by 21.1% during the fourth quarter. Hosking Partners LLP now owns 299,669 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,103,000 after purchasing an additional 52,278 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valaris during the 4th quarter valued at $1,618,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in Valaris by 87.1% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,274,038 shares of the company’s stock valued at $62,135,000 after purchasing an additional 592,971 shares in the last quarter. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valaris during the 4th quarter valued at $1,058,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valaris during the 4th quarter valued at $908,000. 96.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Valaris from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. BTIG Research cut Valaris from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Finally, Susquehanna lifted their target price on Valaris from $96.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Valaris presently has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $63.19.

Valaris Stock Down 2.4%

VAL stock opened at $72.74 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.09 and a beta of 0.91. Valaris Limited has a 52-week low of $41.88 and a 52-week high of $114.12. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $91.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.40.

Valaris (NYSE:VAL) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $465.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $443.75 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.53) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 25.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Valaris Limited will post 3.18 EPS for the current year.

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.