Valaris (NYSE:VAL) Stock Rating Upgraded by StockNews.com

Valaris (NYSE:VAL - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at StockNews.com to a "sell" rating in a research report issued on Thursday.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on VAL. Evercore ISI lowered Valaris from an "outperform" rating to an "in-line" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $87.00 to $59.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Susquehanna lowered their price objective on Valaris from $61.00 to $55.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of Valaris in a research report on Friday, December 6th. They set an "underweight" rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Valaris from $47.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $49.00 price target (down previously from $59.00) on shares of Valaris in a report on Wednesday, December 18th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $55.50.

Valaris Price Performance

Shares of VAL stock traded down $0.93 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $40.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,846,098 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,635,015. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. Valaris has a fifty-two week low of $39.90 and a fifty-two week high of $84.20. The company has a market capitalization of $2.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.95 and a beta of 1.10. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $45.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $50.53.

Valaris (NYSE:VAL - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The company reported $1.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.20 by $0.68. The firm had revenue of $584.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $578.01 million. Valaris had a net margin of 15.81% and a return on equity of 17.40%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valaris will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Valaris during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Valaris by 518.3% during the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 742 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 622 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Valaris by 395.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the company's stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 1,177 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 511 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its stake in Valaris by 326.9% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,874 shares of the company's stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 1,435 shares during the period. 96.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.