Raymond James Financial Inc. Acquires Shares of 19,780 Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 19,780 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $875,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in Valaris by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 37,429 shares of the company's stock worth $1,956,000 after purchasing an additional 1,634 shares during the period. City Center Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valaris in the 4th quarter valued at $319,000. Moody National Bank Trust Division purchased a new position in shares of Valaris in the 4th quarter valued at $416,000. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valaris in the 4th quarter valued at $409,000. Finally, Systrade AG increased its holdings in shares of Valaris by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Systrade AG now owns 40,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,770,000 after acquiring an additional 20,000 shares during the period. 96.74% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valaris Price Performance

Shares of VAL stock traded up $0.85 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $38.32. The company had a trading volume of 1,370,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,526,870. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 1.61 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $35.18 and a 200-day moving average of $41.98. The company has a market capitalization of $2.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.46 and a beta of 1.09. Valaris Limited has a 12-month low of $27.15 and a 12-month high of $84.20.

Valaris (NYSE:VAL - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.53) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($1.63). Valaris had a net margin of 15.81% and a return on equity of 17.40%. The business had revenue of $620.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $582.87 million. The company's revenue was up 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Valaris Limited will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VAL. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Valaris from $55.00 to $50.00 and set an "in-line" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. StockNews.com upgraded Valaris to a "sell" rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Barclays lifted their price target on Valaris from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 5th. Susquehanna cut their price target on Valaris from $47.00 to $34.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price target on Valaris from $48.00 to $44.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have assigned a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valaris currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $49.17.

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.