Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Valvoline's stock rating has been downgraded from "hold" to "sell" by Wall Street Zen, reflecting a shift in analyst sentiment on the company's financial outlook.
• Despite this downgrade, other analysts like Piper Sandler and Stephens have issued "overweight" ratings and raised their price targets for Valvoline, indicating some continued confidence in the stock.
• Valvoline reported earnings of $0.47 per share for the last quarter, slightly exceeding expectations and showing a 4.2% year-over-year revenue increase, suggesting some operational strength amidst the rating changes.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) was downgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note issued on Friday.

VVV has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Research upgraded Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, September 8th. Stephens upped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Cfra Research raised Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.77.

Valvoline Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $36.69 on Friday. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $31.01 and a 12-month high of $43.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.06 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $36.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.43% and a return on equity of 84.85%. The firm had revenue of $439.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $436.35 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO J Kevin Willis purchased 12,725 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $39.41 per share, with a total value of $501,492.25. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,725 shares in the company, valued at $501,492.25. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valvoline

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cooke & Bieler LP bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 2nd quarter valued at $110,501,000. Boston Partners bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the first quarter worth about $82,748,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the second quarter worth about $57,739,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 118.8% during the second quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 2,678,878 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $101,449,000 after purchasing an additional 1,454,458 shares during the period. Finally, Channing Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 189.8% during the 2nd quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 2,163,631 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $81,937,000 after purchasing an additional 1,417,156 shares in the last quarter. 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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