Millennium Management LLC Sells 43,913 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Millennium Management LLC lessened its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 10.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 363,610 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 43,913 shares during the period. Millennium Management LLC owned 0.28% of Valvoline worth $13,155,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VVV. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 52.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 53,580 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,242,000 after buying an additional 18,414 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 24.9% in the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 8,805 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 1,753 shares in the last quarter. Inspire Investing LLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 90.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,538 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 1,206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 61.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 4,647 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $168,000 after buying an additional 1,763 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of VVV traded down $0.43 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $33.80. The company had a trading volume of 168,394 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,640,792. The firm has a market cap of $4.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.17 and a beta of 1.20. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $34.19 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.01 and a 52-week high of $48.26.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $403.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $405.38 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.37 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VVV shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen started coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.33.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valvoline news, CEO Lori Ann Flees bought 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.78 per share, with a total value of $101,340.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 46,614 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,574,620.92. This trade represents a 6.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.