Stephens Boosts Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Price Target to $44.00

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) had its price objective upped by equities researchers at Stephens from $40.00 to $44.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Stephens’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 24.86% from the stock’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Valvoline from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Cfra Research raised Valvoline to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Citigroup cut 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. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $44.00 price target (down from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, May 9th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valvoline has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.15.

Valvoline Stock Down 1.4%

Shares of VVV opened at $35.24 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.11 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $35.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Valvoline has a 1 year low of $31.01 and a 1 year high of $47.08.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $403.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $405.38 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 106.36% and a net margin of 15.97%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.37 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $33.78 per share, for a total transaction of $101,340.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 46,614 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,574,620.92. The trade was a 6.88% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. Boston Partners purchased a new position in Valvoline during the first quarter valued at $82,748,000. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at $54,114,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in Valvoline by 315.4% during the first quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,510,338 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $52,575,000 after buying an additional 1,146,728 shares during the period. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI lifted its position in Valvoline by 35.1% during 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. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in Valvoline by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $391,405,000 after buying an additional 1,080,114 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.