Valaris (NYSE:VAL) Reaches New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as $30.59 and last traded at $30.25, with a volume of 1322601 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $34.50.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VAL shares. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Valaris from $48.00 to $44.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 19th. Evercore ISI lowered Valaris from an “outperform” rating to an “in-line” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $87.00 to $59.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. StockNews.com upgraded Valaris to a “sell” rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Susquehanna cut their price target on Valaris from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Valaris from $49.00 to $46.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $54.33.

Valaris Trading Down 14.5 %

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $41.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $45.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.74 and a beta of 1.06. 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 (NYSE:VAL) last announced 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. Valaris had a net margin of 15.81% and a return on equity of 17.40%. The business had revenue of $584.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $578.01 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Valaris Limited will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valaris

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Valaris during the third quarter worth $25,000. Sterling Capital Management LLC grew its stake in 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 last quarter. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in Valaris by 395.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,475 shares of the company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 1,177 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised 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 buying an additional 511 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in Valaris by 326.9% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 1,874 shares of the company’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 1,435 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.74% of the company’s stock.

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.