Analysts Set Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Price Target at $42.75

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

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

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV stock opened at $42.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.24 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $43.21 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.40. Valvoline has a one year low of $29.15 and a one year high of $45.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a current ratio of 2.24.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its stake in Valvoline by 4.3% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 196,353 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,751,000 after purchasing an additional 8,076 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Preferred LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the first quarter worth $1,636,000. US Bancorp DE lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 41,132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,833,000 after buying an additional 4,800 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 69,300 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,089,000 after buying an additional 4,326 shares during the period. Finally, Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 1st quarter valued at about $286,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

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.