Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Given New $48.00 Price Target at Royal Bank of Canada

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) had its target price upped by analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from $46.00 to $48.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Royal Bank of Canada’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 23.90% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stephens initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 price target (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.11.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of Valvoline stock traded down $0.84 on Friday, reaching $38.74. The stock had a trading volume of 1,883,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,577,178. The stock has a market cap of $4.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.95 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.72. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $33.90 and a fifty-two week high of $48.26. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $37.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.96.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its earnings results 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 197.22% and a net margin of 13.06%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.64 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $76,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby bought 10,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at $1,044,261.50. This represents a 60.84 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valvoline

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 92.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 466.7% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 83.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,332 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares during the last quarter. 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.