On Feb. 9, 2026, offshore drilling’s scale and backlog are being reshaped by a $5.8 billion all-stock merger.
Today’s Change
Current Price
Transocean (RIG +5.57%), an offshore drilling contractor, closed Monday at $5.71, up 5.94%. The stock climbed during Monday’s regular session as investors reacted to the announced all-stock acquisition of Valaris and are now watching execution on cost synergies and backlog growth. Trading volume reached 179 million shares, about 391% above its three-month average of 36.5 million shares. Transocean IPO’d in 1993 and has fallen 48% since going public.
How the markets moved today
The S&P 500 added 0.45% to finish Monday at 6,963, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.90% to close at 23,239. Within oil & gas drilling, industry peers Noble closed at $41.86 (+6.79%) and Seadrill finished at $41.18 (+3.21%) as investors weighed offshore demand and fleet positioning.
What this means for investors
Leading offshore driller Transocean announced its intent to acquire Valaris in an all-stock, $5.8 billion acquisition today. Transocean shares rose 6% on the news, while Valaris stock spiked 34%. By adding Valaris, Transocean’s drillship count grows from 20 to 33, its semi-submergible total increases from 7 to 9, and it adds 31 jackups — it previously had zero.
This diversifies the company’s fleet geographically, while the jackups give it new shallow-water exposure, creating a well-rounded drilling enterprise. Management expects $200 million in synergies from this deal, but investors will want to monitor. Combined, the companies will have an enterprise value of roughly $17 billion, EBITDA of roughly $2 billion, and a $10 billion backlog, making this an intriguing acquisition to note if nothing else.
Josh Kohn-Lindquist has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Noble Plc and Transocean. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
