Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Sold by F M Investments LLC

F M Investments LLC lessened its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 74.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,689 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 205,279 shares during the period. F M Investments LLC owned about 0.06% of Valvoline worth $2,594,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of VVV. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 4.6% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 34,685 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,450,000 after acquiring an additional 1,537 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 23.7% during the third quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 24,203 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,013,000 after purchasing an additional 4,639 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 21.1% in the third quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 68,932 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,885,000 after buying an additional 11,999 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $171,436,000 after purchasing an additional 16,916 shares during the period. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC increased its holdings in Valvoline by 72.0% in the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 98,529 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $4,123,000 after buying an additional 41,245 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In related news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Stock Down 1.4 %

Valvoline stock traded down $0.46 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $33.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 724,735 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,356,023. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $35.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.88. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.02 and a 52-week 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 stock has a market capitalization of $4.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.06 and a beta of 1.32.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on VVV. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. TD Securities started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.67.

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.