Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) saw a large decrease in short interest in April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 5,200,000 shares, a decrease of 17.2% from the March 31st total of 6,280,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,180,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 4.4 days. Approximately 4.0% of the company's stock are short sold.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VVV. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Valvoline from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the company from $37.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Valvoline from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valvoline currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valvoline

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of VVV. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $39,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in Valvoline by 127.1% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 820 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV stock traded up $0.34 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $42.86. 607,989 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 885,056. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.80. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02. Valvoline has a 52-week low of $29.15 and a 52-week high of $45.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 1.44.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.29. Valvoline had a net margin of 92.04% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The company had revenue of $373.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $380.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.16 EPS. Valvoline's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.