Insider Buying: Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) CEO Acquires 3,000 Shares of Stock

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) CEO Lori Ann Flees bought 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $33.78 per share, with a total value of $101,340.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 46,614 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,574,620.92. The trade was a 6.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE:VVV traded up $0.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $34.18. 448,276 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,422,495. Valvoline Inc. has a one year low of $31.02 and a one year high of $48.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.35 billion, a PE ratio of 16.36 and a beta of 1.20. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $34.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.30. 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 (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.02). Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. The firm had revenue of $403.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $405.38 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 52.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 53,580 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,242,000 after acquiring an additional 18,414 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Valvoline by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,642,754 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $59,435,000 after acquiring an additional 16,912 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at about $223,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in Valvoline by 33.7% in the 4th quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 15,909 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $576,000 after acquiring an additional 4,013 shares during the period. Finally, VELA Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Valvoline by 39.8% in the 4th quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 84,273 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $3,049,000 after acquiring an additional 24,001 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $44.00 price target (down previously from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, TD Securities assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.33.

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.