Stifel Nicolaus Initiates Coverage on Valvoline (NYSE:VVV)

Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) in a research note published on Friday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a hold rating and a $42.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on VVV. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stephens assumed coverage on Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.78.

Valvoline Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $36.55 on Friday. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $33.86 and a 12-month high of $48.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.56 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $40.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $76,560.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,240. This trade represents a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 2,500 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $39.64 per share, for a total transaction of $99,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 38,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,523,285.92. This represents a 6.96 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 1.34% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valvoline

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VVV. Tyro Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tyro Capital Management LLC now owns 346,228 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,490,000 after purchasing an additional 2,100 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,554,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in Valvoline by 20.1% in the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 54,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,275,000 after acquiring an additional 9,089 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC boosted its position in Valvoline by 25.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 9,060 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $349,000 after acquiring an additional 1,838 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invst LLC grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Invst LLC now owns 15,931 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $667,000 after acquiring an additional 563 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valvoline Company Profile

Valvoline Inc engages in the operation and franchising of vehicle service centers and retail stores in the United States and Canada. The company, through its service centers, provides fluid exchange for motor oil, transmission and differential fluid, and coolant; parts replacement for batteries, filters, wiper blades, and belts; and safety services, such as tire inflation and rotation, bulbs, and safety checks.