Moerus Capital Management LLC Invests $18.31 Million in Valaris Limited $VAL

Key Points

• Moerus Capital Management LLC acquired 466,479 shares of Valaris Limited, worth approximately $18.31 million, representing 8.2% of its portfolio and making Valaris its 6th largest holding.
• Several institutional investors, including LPL Financial LLC and Envestnet Asset Management Inc., significantly increased their stakes in Valaris during the fourth quarter of last year.
• Valaris reported a quarterly EPS of $1.61, surpassing the consensus estimate of $1.16, with revenue reaching $615.20 million against expectations of $582.70 million.

Moerus Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 466,479 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,314,000. Valaris makes up about 8.2% of Moerus Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest holding. Moerus Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.66% of Valaris at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VAL. Lowe Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valaris in the first quarter worth $28,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Valaris by 51.7% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 684 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 233 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valaris by 518.3% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 742 shares of the company's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 622 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. purchased a new position in shares of Valaris in the first quarter worth $44,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valaris by 1,027.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,353 shares of the company's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 1,233 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.74% of the company's stock.

Valaris Trading Down 3.9%

VAL stock traded down $1.7960 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $44.1740. 581,119 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,756,367. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 1.81. Valaris Limited has a one year low of $27.15 and a one year high of $65.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.15 billion, a PE ratio of 11.53 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $46.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $40.87.

Valaris (NYSE:VAL - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The company reported $1.61 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by $0.45. Valaris had a net margin of 11.18% and a return on equity of 12.36%. The business had revenue of $615.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $582.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.03 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Valaris Limited will post 3.96 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VAL shares. Fearnley Fonds cut shares of Valaris from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. BTIG Research restated a "buy" rating on shares of Valaris in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Valaris from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Valaris from $55.00 to $50.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valaris to a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $46.20.

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.