Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $42.33.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on VVV shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. TD Securities initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In related news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valvoline

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the first quarter worth about $82,748,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth about $54,114,000. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI increased its position in Valvoline by 35.1% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,221,275 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $152,726,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096,486 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in Valvoline by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $391,405,000 after purchasing an additional 1,080,114 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC increased its position in Valvoline by 653.5% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,147,254 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,508,000 after purchasing an additional 994,988 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valvoline Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE VVV traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $34.52. The company's stock had a trading volume of 164,985 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,401,821. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $34.39 and a 200 day moving average of $36.81. Valvoline has a twelve month low of $31.02 and a twelve month high of $48.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.52 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

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

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.