Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Given New $37.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) had its price objective decreased by Morgan Stanley from $38.00 to $37.00 in a report published on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. StockNews.com upgraded Valvoline from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Monday, November 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Valvoline from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a neutral rating and set a $37.00 price objective on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Monday, September 11th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Thursday, September 7th. They issued an overweight rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $39.43.

Valvoline Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of VVV stock opened at $32.50 on Friday. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $29.15 and a fifty-two week high of $39.67. The stock has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.93 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $31.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $34.89. The company has a quick ratio of 2.59, a current ratio of 2.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 7.83.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 9th. The basic materials company reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.41 by ($0.02). Valvoline had a net margin of 98.10% and a return on equity of 35.65%. The firm had revenue of $390.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $390.25 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.59 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 16.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, SVP Lori Ann Flees acquired 8,879 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.76 per share, for a total transaction of $299,755.04. Following the acquisition, the senior vice president now directly owns 12,613 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $425,814.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, Director Vada O. Manager sold 8,651 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total transaction of $290,154.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,269 shares in the company, valued at approximately $176,722.26. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Lori Ann Flees purchased 8,879 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 29th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $33.76 per share, with a total value of $299,755.04. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 12,613 shares in the company, valued at approximately $425,814.88. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have acquired 17,839 shares of company stock worth $601,606 and have sold 12,351 shares worth $415,476. 0.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% during the second quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 11,893 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $446,000 after purchasing an additional 286 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Valvoline by 18.6% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,872 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 294 shares during the period. Belpointe Asset Management LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 54.9% during the first quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 931 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 330 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE increased its position in Valvoline by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 9,964 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its position in Valvoline by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 12,738 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.03% of the company’s stock.

About Valvoline

Valvoline Inc provides automotive services through retail stores in the United States and Canada. It offers cabin air filter, battery replacement, and tire rotation services for various vehicles. As of September 30, 2022, it operated 1,700 system-wide service center stores. The company was founded in 1866 and is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.