Brokerages Set Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) PT at $42.75

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $42.75.

VVV has been the subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho began coverage on Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Valvoline from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $37.00 to $44.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valvoline

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth $39,000. CWM LLC grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 127.1% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 820 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valvoline Stock Performance

VVV opened at $43.62 on Thursday. Valvoline has a twelve month low of $29.15 and a twelve month high of $45.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.66 billion, a PE ratio of 5.42 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $43.14 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.14.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29. The business had revenue of $373.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $380.10 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 92.04% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The business’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.