Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Earns Sell Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV – Get Rating) in a report published on Thursday morning. The brokerage issued a sell rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

VVV has been the subject of several other reports. Citigroup downgraded shares of Valvoline from a buy rating to a neutral rating and set a $37.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Friday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, March 8th.

Valvoline Trading Down 1.8 %

VVV opened at $33.04 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.84, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.72. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $35.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $31.65. The company has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.12 and a beta of 1.38. Valvoline has a 1-year low of $24.40 and a 1-year high of $37.33.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV – Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.22 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $332.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $334.31 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 126.78% and a net margin of 16.71%. The company’s revenue was up 15.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.48 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, CMO Heidi J. Matheys sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.00, for a total value of $108,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 37,159 shares in the company, valued at $1,337,724. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.99% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. Boston Partners boosted its stake in Valvoline by 94.4% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 7,806,725 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $256,145,000 after acquiring an additional 3,791,195 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $60,299,000. Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,511,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,604,000. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 191.8% in the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,247,705 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $31,617,000 after purchasing an additional 820,074 shares during the period. 90.20% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valvoline Company Profile

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Valvoline, Inc engages in the production, marketing, and supply of engine and automotive maintenance products and services. It operates through the Retail Services segment. The Retail Services segment services the passenger car and light truck quick lube market in the US and Canada with preventive maintenance services done through company operated and independent franchise care stores.