Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Given Average Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) has been given an average rating of “Buy” by the nine ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $46.25.

VVV has been the subject of several analyst reports. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stephens began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price objective on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valvoline news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $76,560.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,240. This represents a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.50 per share, with a total value of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Valvoline by 0.4% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $171,436,000 after buying an additional 16,916 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 8.1% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 422,989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $17,702,000 after purchasing an additional 31,661 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 28.8% in the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 126,232 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,453,000 after purchasing an additional 28,254 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Valvoline during the third quarter valued at about $4,628,000. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 6.4% during the second quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,130,920 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $48,857,000 after purchasing an additional 68,340 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $36.27 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $40.39 and a 200-day moving average of $41.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company has a market capitalization of $4.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.39 and a beta of 1.43. Valvoline has a 1 year low of $33.86 and a 1 year high of $48.26.

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.