Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eleven analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $44.40.

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

Valvoline Price Performance

NYSE VVV opened at $35.28 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $36.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.73. Valvoline has a 1 year low of $33.90 and a 1 year high of $48.27.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VVV. Huntington National Bank increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 1,004.9% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 895 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the third quarter worth $41,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 466.7% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

About Valvoline

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.