Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) have earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $47.57.

A number of research firms recently commented on VVV. Citigroup upped their price objective on Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Piper Sandler began coverage on Valvoline in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th.

Valvoline Trading Down 1.4 %

VVV stock opened at $41.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $29.15 and a 12-month high of $48.26. The stock has a market cap of $5.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.21 and a beta of 1.45. The business’s 50-day moving average is $41.86 and its 200 day moving average is $42.42.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $421.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $425.17 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 182.88% and a net margin of 10.45%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valvoline declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, July 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the basic materials company to purchase up to 7.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valvoline

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VVV. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the second quarter valued at $310,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline in the second quarter valued at approximately $5,342,000. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 2nd quarter valued at $6,835,000. Invst LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline during the second quarter worth about $647,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 46.6% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares during the period. 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.