Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV Takes $1.35 Million Position in Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL)

Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV acquired a new stake in shares of Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 24,117 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,345,000.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new position in Valaris in the second quarter worth about $28,884,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in Valaris by 23.4% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,188,973 shares of the company's stock worth $88,573,000 after purchasing an additional 225,283 shares during the last quarter. Condire Management LP lifted its position in shares of Valaris by 14.7% during the 1st quarter. Condire Management LP now owns 1,452,097 shares of the company's stock valued at $109,285,000 after buying an additional 186,076 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valaris by 338.5% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 236,379 shares of the company's stock valued at $17,426,000 after buying an additional 182,467 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board purchased a new position in shares of Valaris during the 2nd quarter valued at about $13,306,000. 96.74% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valaris news, SVP Davor Vukadin sold 15,403 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.64, for a total value of $872,425.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $755,237.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, SVP Matthew Lyne sold 26,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.77, for a total transaction of $1,450,020.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 24,388 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,360,118.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Davor Vukadin sold 15,403 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.64, for a total value of $872,425.92. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,334 shares in the company, valued at $755,237.76. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,403 shares of company stock worth $4,028,246. 0.12% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VAL has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price objective on Valaris from $61.00 to $59.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Benchmark cut Valaris from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Valaris from $95.00 to $71.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Valaris from $61.00 to $55.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Pickering Energy Partners downgraded Valaris from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $80.00.

Valaris Trading Down 1.5 %

VAL traded down $0.78 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $49.59. 491,804 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,055,032. Valaris Limited has a 52-week low of $48.04 and a 52-week high of $84.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.53 billion, a PE ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 1.17. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $53.09 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Valaris 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.