Ethic Inc. Has $626,000 Stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Ethic Inc. increased its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 92.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,307 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,293 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Valvoline were worth $626,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. FORA Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 138.1% during the 4th quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 39,140 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,416,000 after acquiring an additional 22,703 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in Valvoline by 437.2% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 133,140 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,817,000 after purchasing an additional 108,355 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,425 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $775,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Bridgefront Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. Bridgefront Capital LLC now owns 33,443 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,210,000 after purchasing an additional 11,621 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,124 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of Valvoline stock traded up $0.14 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $35.10. 116,996 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,405,544. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.70. The company has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.78 and a beta of 1.20. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $34.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $36.68. Valvoline Inc. has a 52 week low of $31.02 and a 52 week high of $48.27.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $403.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $405.38 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. Valvoline's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.37 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VVV shares. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $44.00 price target (down previously from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $42.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.