Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Now Covered by Analysts at TD Securities

TD Securities assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) in a report released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $40.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 price target (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $43.67.

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE VVV opened at $34.57 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.54 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $36.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.41. Valvoline has a 1 year low of $32.99 and a 1 year high of $48.27.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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, research analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at about $54,114,000. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 35.1% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,096,486 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in Valvoline by 11.1% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,080,114 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 653.5% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,147,254 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,508,000 after purchasing an additional 994,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC bought a new stake in Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth $35,051,000. 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.