Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Receives $47.57 Average Price Target from Analysts

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) has received a consensus recommendation of “Buy” from the eight brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $47.57.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on Valvoline in a report on Thursday, August 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valvoline

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Valvoline by 57.9% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline during the second quarter valued at $34,000. Mather Group LLC. lifted its stake in Valvoline by 1,617.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 760 shares in the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp boosted its position in Valvoline by 176.9% during the 1st quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,886 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 1,205 shares during the period. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the 1st quarter worth about $106,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $41.27 on Friday. Valvoline has a one year low of $29.15 and a one year high of $48.26. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $41.45 and its 200-day moving average is $42.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.75 and a beta of 1.45.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $421.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.17 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 182.88%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.53 EPS for the current year.

Valvoline announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, July 30th that permits the company to repurchase $400.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to reacquire up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.