Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Coverage Initiated at TD Cowen

TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) in a research note issued to investors on Friday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $40.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on VVV. Mizuho cut their target price 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. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price target (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.67.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV stock opened at $34.57 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.54 and a beta of 1.32. Valvoline has a 1-year low of $32.99 and a 1-year high of $48.27. 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 stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.41.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valvoline

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VVV. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in Valvoline by 1,004.9% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 895 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the period. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 221.8% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,181 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC increased its position in Valvoline by 466.7% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Valvoline during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.