Citigroup Cuts Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Price Target to $38.00

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) had its price target decreased by Citigroup from $41.00 to $38.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Citigroup currently has a neutral rating on the basic materials company’s stock.

VVV has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. TD Securities started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.67.

Valvoline Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $33.79 on Tuesday. Valvoline has a 12 month low of $31.02 and a 12 month high of $48.27. The firm has a market cap of $4.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.17 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $34.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $37.33.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 forecast that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valvoline

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of VVV. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,893,648 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $466,492,000 after purchasing an additional 101,834 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $391,405,000 after buying an additional 1,080,114 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,221,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $152,726,000 after acquiring an additional 1,096,486 shares in the last quarter. Alua Capital Management LP increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Alua Capital Management LP now owns 3,605,281 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $130,439,000 after acquiring an additional 175,848 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Valvoline by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,608,067 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $94,362,000 after acquiring an additional 6,871 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

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.