Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Upgraded at The Goldman Sachs Group

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) was upgraded by equities research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The firm presently has a $45.00 price target on the basic materials company’s stock, up from their previous price target of $40.00. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 22.38% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on VVV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, TD Securities initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.54.

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE:VVV traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $36.77. 555,938 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,434,199. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Valvoline has a 52-week low of $31.02 and a 52-week high of $48.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.59 and a beta of 1.20. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $34.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.11.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $403.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $405.38 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. Valvoline’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.37 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $33.78 per share, with a total value of $101,340.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 46,614 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,574,620.92. This represents a 6.88% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VVV. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Valvoline by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,893,648 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $466,492,000 after acquiring an additional 101,834 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in Valvoline by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $391,405,000 after buying an additional 1,080,114 shares during the period. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI boosted its position in Valvoline by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,769,346 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $166,021,000 after buying an additional 548,071 shares during the period. Alua Capital Management LP grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 3.6% in the first quarter. Alua Capital Management LP now owns 3,734,466 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $129,997,000 after acquiring an additional 129,185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,608,067 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $94,362,000 after acquiring an additional 6,871 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.