Meeder Asset Management Inc. Trims Stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 49.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,277 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 13,885 shares during the quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $517,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. Citigroup Inc. grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 15.0% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 114,598 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,796,000 after acquiring an additional 14,962 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in Valvoline by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 29,498 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,234,000 after purchasing an additional 2,482 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 7.3% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 74,286 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $3,109,000 after buying an additional 5,030 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the third quarter worth about $413,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the third quarter worth about $97,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

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

Valvoline Trading Down 0.7 %

NYSE VVV opened at $34.86 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $4.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.68 and a beta of 1.48. Valvoline Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.90 and a 12 month high of $48.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company has a 50-day moving average of $36.75 and a 200-day moving average of $38.54.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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, equities analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VVV has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus began 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.40.

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.