Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Stock Holdings Reduced by Blueshift Asset Management LLC

Blueshift Asset Management LLC lowered its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 44.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,763 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 10,250 shares during the quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $462,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VVV. Xponance Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 6.0% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 27,867 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,008,000 after acquiring an additional 1,577 shares in the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,262,293 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $45,670,000 after acquiring an additional 11,111 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 11.3% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 470,651 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,029,000 after acquiring an additional 47,662 shares in the last quarter. Hilton Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Hilton Capital Management LLC now owns 46,160 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,670,000 after acquiring an additional 2,002 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth about $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.40.

Valvoline Trading Down 1.8 %

VVV stock opened at $35.64 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a 1-year low of $33.90 and a 1-year high of $48.27. The firm has a market cap of $4.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.05 and a beta of 1.48. The business’s 50 day moving average is $36.85 and its 200-day moving average is $38.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. Equities analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valvoline 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.