Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Insider Sells $224,460.00 in Stock

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Valvoline Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $37.21 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $37.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.40. 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 Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.90 and a 12-month high of $48.26. The company has a market cap of $4.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.80 and a beta of 1.45.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on VVV shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. 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, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.40.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valvoline

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 83.0% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,332 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 604 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its stake in Valvoline by 10.6% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 199,152 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $8,335,000 after purchasing an additional 19,091 shares in the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in Valvoline by 7.2% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 15,088 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $631,000 after purchasing an additional 1,015 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. grew its stake in Valvoline by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 3,656,672 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $153,032,000 after buying an additional 100,305 shares in the last quarter. Finally, US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 38,817 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,624,000 after buying an additional 752 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently 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.