Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Given “Overweight” Rating at Piper Sandler

Piper Sandler restated their overweight rating on shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) in a research report report published on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $44.00 target price on the basic materials company’s stock, down from their prior target price of $45.00.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, TD Securities started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valvoline presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.33.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Valvoline stock opened at $33.00 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $34.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.94. Valvoline has a twelve month low of $31.02 and a twelve month high of $48.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The company has a market cap of $4.19 billion, a PE ratio of 15.79 and a beta of 1.20.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.02). Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. The business had revenue of $403.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $405.38 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.37 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valvoline

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth approximately $54,114,000. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,221,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $152,726,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096,486 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $391,405,000 after purchasing an additional 1,080,114 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 653.5% in the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,147,254 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,508,000 after purchasing an additional 994,988 shares during the period. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,051,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.