Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Acquires Shares of 40,500 Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL)

Key Points

• Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired 40,500 shares of Valaris Limited, valued at approximately $1,590,000, indicating increased institutional interest in the company.
• Research reports suggest a mix of ratings for Valaris, with an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $53.50.
• Valaris reported better-than-expected earnings of $1.61 per share, exceeding estimates, with revenues also above analyst expectations at $615.20 million for the quarter.

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 40,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,590,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.06% of Valaris as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. South Dakota Investment Council increased its stake in Valaris by 33.1% in the 1st quarter. South Dakota Investment Council now owns 47,456 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,863,000 after buying an additional 11,800 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its stake in Valaris by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 7,283 shares of the company's stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 564 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC increased its stake in Valaris by 5.0% in the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 21,676 shares of the company's stock valued at $851,000 after buying an additional 1,035 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Valaris by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 13,334 shares of the company's stock valued at $523,000 after buying an additional 1,354 shares during the period. Finally, Hara Capital LLC increased its stake in Valaris by 42.6% in the 1st quarter. Hara Capital LLC now owns 134,327 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,274,000 after buying an additional 40,134 shares during the period. 96.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valaris Trading Up 4.5%

NYSE:VAL traded up $2.05 on Tuesday, reaching $47.63. The stock had a trading volume of 813,968 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,794,357. The company has a market cap of $3.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.35 and a beta of 1.17. Valaris Limited has a 12-month low of $27.15 and a 12-month high of $66.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 1.81 and a quick ratio of 1.81. The firm's fifty day moving average is $45.23 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.97.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on VAL shares. Evercore ISI lowered 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 note on Friday, May 2nd. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Valaris from $46.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $50.00 price target (up from $47.00) on shares of Valaris in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valaris to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Valaris from $37.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $53.50.

About Valaris

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.