Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Now Covered by Analysts at TD Securities

Equities research analysts at TD Securities began coverage on shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock. TD Securities’ price objective points to a potential upside of 15.69% from the stock’s current price.

VVV has been the topic of several other research reports. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valvoline presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.67.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $34.57 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a PE ratio of 16.54 and a beta of 1.32. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $32.99 and a fifty-two week high of $48.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $36.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.39.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new position in Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth $54,114,000. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 35.1% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,221,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $152,726,000 after buying an additional 1,096,486 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,080,114 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 994,988 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,051,000. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

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.