Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Price Target Raised to $38.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) had its price objective increased by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $37.00 to $38.00 in a report published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

VVV has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price target (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Mizuho cut their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Valvoline has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.40.

Valvoline Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $40.15 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21 and a beta of 1.45. Valvoline has a 52-week low of $33.90 and a 52-week high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.70. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $37.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.76.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. Equities research analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.64 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In related news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,044,261.50. This trade represents a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees bought 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $39.64 per share, for a total transaction of $99,100.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,523,285.92. The trade was a 6.96 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VVV. State Street Corp boosted its position in Valvoline by 0.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $171,436,000 after purchasing an additional 16,916 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted 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 worth $17,702,000 after buying an additional 31,661 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the third quarter worth approximately $4,628,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Valvoline by 118.2% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 67,948 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,844,000 after buying an additional 36,814 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Valvoline by 2.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $93,215,000 after buying an additional 54,545 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.