Royal Bank of Canada Raises Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Price Target to $48.00

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) had its price objective hoisted by Royal Bank of Canada from $46.00 to $48.00 in a research note released on Friday,Benzinga reports. Royal Bank of Canada currently has an outperform rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on VVV. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.11.

Valvoline Stock Down 2.1 %

NYSE VVV opened at $38.74 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $37.00 and a 200-day moving average price of $39.87. Valvoline has a one year low of $33.90 and a one year high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.54 and a beta of 1.45.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 1.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 26,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,044,261.50. This trade represents a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $76,560.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Valvoline by 92.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. ORG Partners LLC increased its holdings in Valvoline by 466.7% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Valvoline by 83.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,332 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.