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

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $45.33.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VVV. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price objective on the stock.

Valvoline Trading Down 0.2 %

Valvoline stock opened at $34.80 on Tuesday. Valvoline has a 52-week low of $33.86 and a 52-week high of $48.26. The company has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.48 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valvoline news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the business’s 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 owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $39.64 per share, with a total value of $99,100.00. Following 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. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Valvoline by 92.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 466.7% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Valvoline by 83.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,332 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.