Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Shares Sold by Assenagon Asset Management S.A.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its holdings in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 45.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 262,267 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 216,993 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.21% of Valvoline worth $9,130,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VVV. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 1st quarter valued at about $496,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 101.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,170 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 46,208 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,608,000 after purchasing an additional 794 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 145.4% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,531 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 907 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sendero Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Valvoline by 34.0% in the first quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 27,855 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $970,000 after purchasing an additional 7,075 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Stock Up 1.0%

NYSE VVV traded up $0.36 on Tuesday, hitting $36.76. 2,391,069 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,479,723. The company has a market capitalization of $4.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.84 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $34.65 and a 200 day moving average of $35.89. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23. Valvoline has a twelve month low of $31.02 and a twelve month high of $48.27.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $403.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $405.38 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 15.97% and a return on equity of 106.36%. The business's revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.37 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. TD Securities began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $44.00 target price (down from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $42.54.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $33.78 per share, for a total transaction of $101,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 46,614 shares in the company, valued at $1,574,620.92. This trade represents a 6.88% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

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.