Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Stock Price Expected to Rise, JPMorgan Chase & Co. Analyst Says

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

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho lowered their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.40.

Valvoline Trading Up 1.3 %

Valvoline stock opened at $40.15 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $33.90 and a 12-month high of $48.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.21 and a beta of 1.45. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $37.05 and a 200 day moving average of $39.76.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $76,560.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at $598,240. This represents a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees bought 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $39.64 per share, with a total value of $99,100.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 38,428 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,523,285.92. This trade represents a 6.96 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Huntington National Bank increased its position in Valvoline by 1,004.9% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 895 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valvoline during the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 466.7% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in 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. 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.