Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Receives $44.89 Average PT from Brokerages

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $44.89.

Several brokerages recently commented on VVV. Mizuho cut their price objective 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. Stephens started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 target price for the company. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock.

Valvoline Price Performance

VVV opened at $36.61 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $37.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.12. Valvoline has a 52-week low of $33.86 and a 52-week high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.70 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60 and a beta of 1.45.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In other news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 26,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,044,261.50. This represents a 60.84 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valvoline

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $407,541,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398,310 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $171,436,000 after acquiring an additional 16,916 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 3,656,672 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $153,032,000 after acquiring an additional 100,305 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Valvoline by 2.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $93,215,000 after purchasing an additional 54,545 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Valvoline by 1.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,625,842 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $68,041,000 after purchasing an additional 19,877 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.