Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Receives $44.40 Consensus Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $44.40.

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

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV stock opened at $35.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.70. The firm has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.80 and a beta of 1.48. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $36.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.58. Valvoline has a one year low of $33.90 and a one year high of $48.27.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at about $54,114,000. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 16.8% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $407,541,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398,310 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 35.1% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,221,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $152,726,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096,486 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 653.5% during the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,147,254 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,508,000 after purchasing an additional 994,988 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,051,000. 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.