Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Receives $44.89 Consensus Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $45.11.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VVV. Stephens began coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target on the stock. 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. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valvoline

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VVV. Wealthfront Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth approximately $7,247,000. Isthmus Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 5.9% during the fourth quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 9,157 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 507 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 9.3% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 30,878 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,117,000 after purchasing an additional 2,632 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 43,092 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,559,000 after purchasing an additional 1,381 shares during the period. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at $222,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Down 2.1 %

VVV stock opened at $38.74 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.54 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a fifty day moving average of $37.02 and a 200-day moving average of $39.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.70. Valvoline has a one year low of $33.90 and a one year high of $48.26.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.64 EPS for the current year.

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.