Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Given New $42.00 Price Target at Wells Fargo & Company

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) had its price target lowered by Wells Fargo & Company from $44.00 to $42.00 in a report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, TD Securities assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.67.

Valvoline Trading Up 0.5 %

Shares of VVV stock opened at $34.25 on Monday. Valvoline has a twelve month low of $31.02 and a twelve month high of $48.27. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $34.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.39 and a beta of 1.32.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of Valvoline 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 transaction, the insider now directly 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 through the SEC website. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at about $54,114,000. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI grew its position in Valvoline by 35.1% in the fourth 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 raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $391,405,000 after buying an additional 1,080,114 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 653.5% during the 4th 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Valvoline during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,051,000. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.