Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Coverage Initiated at Stephens

Equities research analysts at Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) in a research note issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock. Stephens’ target price suggests a potential upside of 15.51% from the stock’s previous close.

VVV has been the subject of several other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup upped their target price on Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Baird R W raised Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.75.

Valvoline Stock Up 2.3 %

Valvoline stock opened at $42.42 on Tuesday. Valvoline has a twelve month low of $29.15 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of 33.67 and a beta of 1.45. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $40.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $42.12.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.03). Valvoline had a return on equity of 182.88% and a net margin of 10.45%. The company had revenue of $421.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.17 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valvoline declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, July 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $400.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the basic materials company to buy up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VVV. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 17.9% in the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 10,969 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $459,000 after acquiring an additional 1,664 shares during the last quarter. Capital Insight Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Capital Insight Partners LLC now owns 89,853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,760,000 after buying an additional 2,542 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 92.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 29.3% in the 3rd quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,608 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 364 shares during the period. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. grew its holdings in Valvoline by 21.9% during the third quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 11,102 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $465,000 after purchasing an additional 1,991 shares during the period. 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.