Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $42.75.

Several brokerages have recently commented on VVV. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Valvoline from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Valvoline from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $37.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Citigroup increased their target price on Valvoline from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Mizuho began coverage on Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $42.50 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.98. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 1.44. Valvoline has a one year low of $29.15 and a one year high of $45.37.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29. Valvoline had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 92.04%. The business had revenue of $373.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $380.10 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.16 earnings per share. Valvoline’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Valvoline by 19,218.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,735,549 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $140,382,000 after acquiring an additional 3,716,212 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA acquired a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at $123,526,000. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in Valvoline by 25.1% in the 1st quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 8,507,925 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $379,198,000 after acquiring an additional 1,706,190 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at $61,656,000. Finally, Fiduciary Management Inc. WI raised its holdings in Valvoline by 55.0% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 3,055,520 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $114,826,000 after acquiring an additional 1,083,722 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.