Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Raised to "Hold" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Valvoline has been upgraded from a "sell" to a "hold" rating by Wall Street Zen, reflecting a more cautious outlook on the stock.
• Multiple analysts have varying price targets for Valvoline, with Morgan Stanley decreasing theirs to $39.00, while Wells Fargo and Stephens set theirs at $44.00, indicating mixed sentiment in the market.
• Valvoline's CFO recently purchased 12,725 shares at an average price of $39.41, signaling insider confidence in the company's future performance.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Stephens increased their price target on Valvoline from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Cfra Research upgraded Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.31.

Valvoline Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of VVV opened at $38.67 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.99 and a beta of 1.17. Valvoline has a 1 year low of $31.01 and a 1 year high of $43.74. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $37.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $36.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $439.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $436.35 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 84.85% and a net margin of 16.43%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, CFO J Kevin Willis bought 12,725 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.41 per share, for a total transaction of $501,492.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $501,492.25. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI increased its stake in Valvoline by 13.0% in the first quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,769,346 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $166,021,000 after purchasing an additional 548,071 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 67.3% during the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,977,293 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $150,604,000 after buying an additional 1,599,973 shares during the period. Alua Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 3.6% during the first 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 during the period. Sculptor Capital LP increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 47.5% during the second quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 3,000,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $113,610,000 after buying an additional 966,500 shares during the period. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the second quarter valued at $110,501,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.

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