Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Raised to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Monday.

VVV has been the topic of several other reports. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Valvoline from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Valvoline to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Cfra Research upgraded Valvoline to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valvoline from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Stephens increased their target price on Valvoline from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.77.

Valvoline Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $40.47 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $38.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $31.01 and a 12-month high of $43.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.82 and a beta of 1.21.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 84.85% and a net margin of 16.43%.The business had revenue of $439.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $436.35 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.45 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO J Kevin Willis purchased 12,725 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $39.41 per share, for a total transaction of $501,492.25. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,725 shares in the company, valued at approximately $501,492.25. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valvoline

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI lifted its position in Valvoline by 13.0% during the first quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,769,346 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $166,021,000 after purchasing an additional 548,071 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its position in Valvoline by 67.3% during the second quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,977,293 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $150,604,000 after purchasing an additional 1,599,973 shares in the last quarter. Alua Capital Management LP lifted its position in Valvoline by 3.6% during the first quarter. Alua Capital Management LP now owns 3,734,466 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $129,997,000 after purchasing an additional 129,185 shares in the last quarter. Sculptor Capital LP lifted its position in Valvoline by 47.5% during the second quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 3,000,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $113,610,000 after purchasing an additional 966,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP purchased a new position in Valvoline during the second quarter valued at $110,501,000. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.