State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Has $2.25 Million Stock Position in Valaris Limited $VAL

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lowered its position in Valaris Limited (NYSE:VAL) by 15.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,060 shares of the company’s stock after selling 8,306 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned about 0.07% of Valaris worth $2,246,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VAL. UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Valaris by 50.5% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 778 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 261 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of Valaris by 13,400.0% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,215 shares of the company’s stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,206 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Valaris during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $56,000. Strs Ohio raised its holdings in Valaris by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 1,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 600 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valaris by 106.7% in the second quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 1,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 919 shares during the period. 96.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. BTIG Research raised their price objective on shares of Valaris from $55.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 31st. Citigroup cut their price target on Valaris from $62.00 to $58.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Barclays increased their price objective on Valaris from $43.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valaris in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Valaris from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $53.56.

Valaris News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Valaris this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Customer support for the proposed Transocean-Valaris merger is strong, with oil companies described as “overwhelmingly positive.” That endorsement reduces execution risk and could improve future contract flow and valuation if the deal closes. Oil companies ‘overwhelmingly positive’ on Transocean-Valaris merger
• Positive Sentiment: Valaris announced roughly $900M in new rig awards and contract extensions, boosting backlog and near‑term revenue visibility — a clear positive for forward utilization and cash flow expectations. Valaris racks up $900M in new rig awards and extensions, fleet status report says
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly results topped consensus: revenue of $537.4M beat estimates and reported EPS exceeded expectations (Zacks flagged a beat vs. consensus). Beats help justify the rally and suggest better-than-expected pricing or contract mix in the quarter. Valaris Limited (VAL) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Management updated FY2026 guidance to revenue of about $2.1–$2.2B, slightly below the Street’s $2.2B consensus — a modestly cautious signal that may limit upside until guidance is tightened. (Company guidance release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary points to an “earnings test” ahead of the Transocean merger — the deal’s progress and integration risk are key watch‑items that could swing sentiment depending on execution updates. Valaris faces earnings test as Transocean merger looms
• Negative Sentiment: Operational metrics showed softness: Rigzone reports Q4 revenue was down ~10% sequentially, indicating near‑term demand or fleet utilization pressure. That weakness offsets some of the headline beats and could temper margins going forward. Valaris Q4 Revenue Down 10 Pct Sequentially
• Negative Sentiment: Underlying profitability and cash flow were weaker year‑over‑year (gross and operating profit fell; cash from operations declined), and there was at least one recent insider sale — items that could concern fundamental investors despite the one‑time drivers behind reported net income gains. Valaris Limited (VAL) Stock Falls on Q4 2025 Earnings

Valaris Stock Performance

VAL opened at $95.65 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $60.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $55.34. Valaris Limited has a 52-week low of $27.15 and a 52-week high of $96.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.87 and a current ratio of 1.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.66 billion, a PE ratio of 6.84 and a beta of 1.18.

About Valaris

Valaris PLC is a leading provider of offshore drilling services to the global energy industry. The company operates a diverse fleet of mobile offshore drilling units, including drillships, semisubmersibles and jackup rigs, designed to support exploration and production activities in deepwater, ultra-deepwater and harsh‐environment settings. Valaris serves a wide range of international oil and gas customers, offering turnkey drilling solutions, project management and advanced technology integration to enhance operational efficiency and safety.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Valaris maintains a significant presence in key offshore basins around the world.