Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eleven analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $44.40.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of Valvoline stock traded down $1.05 during trading on Friday, reaching $34.87. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,730,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,274,017. Valvoline has a 52 week low of $33.90 and a 52 week high of $48.27. The firm has a market cap of $4.43 billion, a PE ratio of 16.68 and a beta of 1.48. The business's 50-day moving average price is $36.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

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Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valvoline

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,893,648 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $466,492,000 after purchasing an additional 101,834 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its holdings in Valvoline by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $391,405,000 after acquiring an additional 1,080,114 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI increased its position in Valvoline by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,221,275 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $152,726,000 after acquiring an additional 1,096,486 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Valvoline by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $171,436,000 after acquiring an additional 16,916 shares during the period. Finally, Alua Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Alua Capital Management LP now owns 3,605,281 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $130,439,000 after acquiring an additional 175,848 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

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.