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

Key Points

• Valvoline's stock rating was upgraded from "sell" to "hold" by Wall Street Zen, indicating a more favorable outlook for the company.
• Piper Sandler and Stephens both raised their price targets for Valvoline to $50.00 and $44.00 respectively, supporting the stock's current positive momentum.
• Valvoline reported earnings of $0.47 per share, surpassing analyst expectations, with revenues increasing by 4.2% year-over-year to $439 million.

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report released on Monday morning.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.77.

Valvoline Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE:VVV traded down $1.18 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $38.73. 2,105,490 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,425,776. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.92 billion, a PE ratio of 18.01 and a beta of 1.21. The business's 50 day moving average is $38.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.35. 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 has a one year low of $31.01 and a one year high of $43.74.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, CFO J Kevin Willis bought 12,725 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $39.41 per share, with a total value of $501,492.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 12,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $501,492.25. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valvoline

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VVV. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 7,419 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $281,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,425 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $775,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 28,510 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,080,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP now owns 18,440 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $698,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares during the period. Finally, Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 9,544 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the period. 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.