Transocean Announces $5.8 Billion Acquisition of Valaris
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: 5 days ago
0mins
Should l Buy RIG?
Source: Fool
- Acquisition Announcement: Transocean has announced a $5.8 billion all-stock acquisition of Valaris, which will increase its drillship count from 20 to 33, semi-submersibles from 7 to 9, and add 31 jackups, significantly enhancing its competitive position in the offshore drilling market.
- Market Reaction: Following the acquisition news, Transocean's stock rose by 6% to $5.71, while Valaris's stock surged by 34%, indicating strong investor optimism regarding the deal and reflecting a positive outlook on offshore drilling demand.
- Synergy Expectations: Management anticipates $200 million in synergies from the acquisition, although investors will need to closely monitor execution to ensure that the expected cost savings and business growth materialize as planned.
- Enterprise Value and Financials: Post-merger, the combined enterprise value of Transocean and Valaris is approximately $17 billion, with an EBITDA of around $2 billion and a backlog of $10 billion, making this acquisition a significant point of interest within the industry.
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Analyst Views on RIG
Wall Street analysts forecast RIG stock price to fall
7 Analyst Rating
2 Buy
3 Hold
2 Sell
Hold
Current: 6.030
Low
3.00
Averages
4.25
High
5.00
Current: 6.030
Low
3.00
Averages
4.25
High
5.00
About RIG
Transocean Ltd. is an international provider of offshore contract drilling services for oil and gas wells. The Company's primary business is to contract its drilling rigs, related equipment and work crews on a dayrate basis to drill oil and gas wells. As of February 9, 2017, it owned or had partial ownership interests in and operated 56 mobile offshore drilling units. As of February 9, 2017, its fleet consisted of 30 floaters, seven harsh environment floaters, three deepwater floaters, six midwater floaters and 10 high-specification jackups. As February 9, 2017, it also had four ultra-deepwater drillships and five high-specification jackups under construction or under contract to be constructed. Its contract drilling services operations are spread across oil and gas exploration and development areas throughout the world. The Company's drilling fleet can be characterized as floaters, including drillships and semisubmersibles, and jackups.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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See More
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- Contract Expansion: Transocean secured contract fixtures for two harsh environment semisubmersibles in Norway, expected to add approximately $152 million to its backlog, ensuring operational commitments through December 2027 and reinforcing its leadership in offshore drilling services.
- Strong Performance: The stock is currently trading 29.9% above its 20-day simple moving average and 58.7% above its 100-day simple moving average, indicating robust short-term and long-term performance, with a 79.48% increase in share price over the past 12 months.
- Technical Indicator Analysis: The RSI stands at 71.66, suggesting the stock is in overbought territory, while the MACD is above its signal line, indicating bullish momentum; however, the combination of an overbought RSI and bullish MACD suggests a potential pullback may be due.
- Market Performance: On Friday, Transocean shares rose 7.96% to $6.51, reaching a new 52-week high, demonstrating strong price action despite weak fundamental expansion, with a Momentum score of 94.57.
See More
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- Merger Agreement: Valaris and Transocean announced a merger agreement where Valaris shareholders will receive 15.235 Transocean shares for each Valaris share, implying a 31.6% premium, creating the largest offshore drilling company on public markets.
- Cost Synergies: The merger is expected to yield $200 million in cost savings, in addition to Transocean's existing target of $250 million in expense reductions over 2025 and 2026, which will facilitate debt reduction and halve the leverage ratio from 3.0 times EBITDA to 1.5 within two years.
- Positive Market Reaction: Following the merger announcement, Valaris shares surged 48.1% this week, reflecting investor optimism regarding the synergies and future profitability, thereby boosting confidence in the oil and gas sector.
- Industry Consolidation Trend: This merger positions Transocean and Valaris as the largest offshore drilling company, likely enhancing profitability in a low oil-price environment and attracting investors looking for opportunities in the recovering oil market.
See More
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- Acquisition Overview: Transocean announced an all-stock acquisition of Valaris, with an exchange ratio of 15.235 Transocean shares for each Valaris share, implying a 31.6% premium to Valaris' valuation, reflecting strong market optimism about the merger.
- Shareholder Structure: Post-merger, Transocean shareholders will own 53% of the new company while Valaris shareholders will hold 47%, indicating a relatively equal size between the two firms, with Transocean's CEO remaining in charge to ensure management continuity.
- Cost Synergies: The merger is expected to generate $200 million in cost savings, in addition to Transocean's existing target of $250 million in expense reductions over 2025 and 2026, which will facilitate a 50% reduction in debt over the next two years, lowering the leverage ratio to 1.5 times EBITDA.
- Market Outlook: This merger positions Transocean and Valaris as the largest offshore drilling company in the public markets, likely enhancing profitability even in a low oil price environment, as industry consolidation will make remaining players more profitable, attracting oil and gas investors.
See More
Transocean's Valaris Acquisition Boosts Stock Performance
- Acquisition Boosts Stock: Transocean's stock rose 0.50% to $6.03 on Thursday, driven by its $5.8 billion acquisition of Valaris and new contract awards, which significantly enhance the company's backlog and long-term earnings potential.
- Surge in Trading Volume: The company saw a trading volume of 102.9 million shares, approximately 159% above the three-month average of 39.8 million shares, indicating strong market interest in its acquisition and contract developments.
- Market Consolidation Impact: This acquisition will create one of the world's largest deepwater drilling fleets for Transocean, likely enhancing pricing power and revenue visibility in an increasingly tightening offshore market.
- Divergent Analyst Views: While BTIG raised its price target reflecting scale benefits and contract momentum, Fearnley Fonds downgraded the stock due to valuation and balance sheet risks, prompting investors to monitor whether the merger can effectively convert increased scale and backlog into sustained cash flow.
See More
