Cerity Partners LLC Trims Position in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV)

Cerity Partners LLC lessened its stake in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 54.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,896 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 15,121 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Valvoline were worth $449,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 13.8% in the fourth quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 9,411 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $341,000 after purchasing an additional 1,142 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $930,000. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 26.5% in the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 33,872 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,225,000 after buying an additional 7,097 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,893,648 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $466,492,000 after buying an additional 101,834 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at $54,114,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VVV. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Cfra Research raised shares of Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $44.00 target price (down from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.54.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other news, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $33.78 per share, with a total value of $101,340.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer owned 46,614 shares in the company, valued at $1,574,620.92. This trade represents a 6.88% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE:VVV opened at $35.87 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.56 billion, a PE ratio of 17.41 and a beta of 1.18. The business's fifty day moving average price is $36.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $35.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.60. Valvoline has a 12 month low of $31.01 and a 12 month high of $47.08.

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

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.

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