Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Now Covered by TD Cowen

TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) in a research report released on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $40.00 target price on the basic materials company’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 price target (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.67.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $34.57 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $36.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.70. Valvoline has a 1-year low of $32.99 and a 1-year high of $48.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.54 and a beta of 1.32.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,425 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $775,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 35,530 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,285,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Research Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Research Inc. now owns 41,045 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after purchasing an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,548 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina increased its stake in Valvoline by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 56,792 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,055,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valvoline Company Profile

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.