Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Given New $50.00 Price Target at Piper Sandler

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) had its price objective raised by research analysts at Piper Sandler from $44.00 to $50.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Piper Sandler’s target price suggests a potential upside of 25.58% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research upgraded Valvoline to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Cfra Research upgraded Valvoline to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Valvoline from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Valvoline from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.77.

Valvoline Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:VVV traded up $0.77 during trading on Monday, reaching $39.81. 327,054 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,708,193. The firm has a market cap of $5.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.47 and a beta of 1.21. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $38.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Valvoline has a 1-year low of $31.01 and a 1-year high of $43.74.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $439.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $436.35 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.43% and a return on equity of 84.85%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Valvoline news, CFO J Kevin Willis purchased 12,725 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.41 per share, with a total value of $501,492.25. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $501,492.25. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VVV. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI increased its position in Valvoline by 13.0% during the first quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,769,346 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $166,021,000 after acquiring an additional 548,071 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 67.3% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,977,293 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $150,604,000 after buying an additional 1,599,973 shares during the last quarter. Alua Capital Management LP grew its stake in Valvoline by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Alua Capital Management LP now owns 3,734,466 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $129,997,000 after buying an additional 129,185 shares during the last quarter. Sculptor Capital LP increased its stake in Valvoline by 47.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 3,000,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $113,610,000 after purchasing an additional 966,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP purchased a new stake in Valvoline during the 2nd quarter valued at about $110,501,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.