Stifel Financial Corp Invests $2.40 Million in Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL)

Stifel Financial Corp bought a new position in Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 54,221 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,399,000. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.08% of Valaris at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VAL. Lingotto Investment Management LLP increased its position in shares of Valaris by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Lingotto Investment Management LLP now owns 3,637,207 shares of the company's stock valued at $160,910,000 after acquiring an additional 87,420 shares in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in Valaris during the fourth quarter valued at $611,000. Hosking Partners LLP lifted its holdings in Valaris by 33.6% in the fourth quarter. Hosking Partners LLP now owns 341,842 shares of the company's stock valued at $15,123,000 after acquiring an additional 85,891 shares during the period. Waverton Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in Valaris by 12.7% in the fourth quarter. Waverton Investment Management Ltd now owns 756,135 shares of the company's stock worth $33,451,000 after purchasing an additional 85,250 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valaris by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,454,159 shares of the company's stock valued at $285,532,000 after purchasing an additional 23,509 shares during the period. 96.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valaris Price Performance

NYSE:VAL traded up $1.28 on Thursday, reaching $37.57. 1,804,528 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,520,735. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $35.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.27. Valaris Limited has a 12 month low of $27.15 and a 12 month high of $84.20. The firm has a market cap of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of 7.31 and a beta of 1.09. 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 (NYSE:VAL - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The company reported ($0.53) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $582.87 million. Valaris's revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Valaris Limited will post 3.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.