Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Upgraded by The Goldman Sachs Group to Buy Rating

The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report published on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat reports. They currently have $45.00 price objective on the basic materials company's stock, up from their prior price objective of $40.00.

VVV has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $44.00 price objective (down previously from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valvoline presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.54.

Valvoline Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:VVV traded up $0.13 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $36.67. 825,263 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,440,776. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. Valvoline has a 52-week low of $31.02 and a 52-week high of $48.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.55 and a beta of 1.20. The business's fifty day moving average is $34.25 and its 200-day moving average is $36.06.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $403.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $405.38 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, CEO Lori Ann Flees bought 3,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $33.78 per share, with a total value of $101,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 46,614 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,574,620.92. This represents a 6.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valvoline

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VVV. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake 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 valued at $466,492,000 after purchasing an additional 101,834 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $391,405,000 after buying an additional 1,080,114 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI increased its position in Valvoline by 13.0% during the 1st quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,769,346 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $166,021,000 after buying an additional 548,071 shares in the last quarter. Alua Capital Management LP increased its position in Valvoline by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Alua Capital Management LP now owns 3,734,466 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $129,997,000 after buying an additional 129,185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Valvoline by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,608,067 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $94,362,000 after buying an additional 6,871 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

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.