Valvoline $VVV Shares Sold by Newport Trust Company LLC

Key Points

• Newport Trust Company LLC reduced its stake in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) by 2.8% in Q1, owning 1,570,177 shares after selling 44,465 shares, worth approximately $54.7 million.
• Several institutional investors have increased their positions in Valvoline, with Barclays PLC boosting its holdings by 271% in the previous quarter to 198,785 shares.
• Valvoline's stock has been upgraded by various analysts, with Goldman Sachs raising its target price from $40 to $45 and nine investment analysts rating the stock as a Buy.

Newport Trust Company LLC reduced its position in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 2.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,570,177 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 44,465 shares during the quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC owned about 1.24% of Valvoline worth $54,658,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in Valvoline by 24.9% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,832 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 565 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 101.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,170 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $76,000 after purchasing an additional 1,093 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 1st quarter valued at about $316,000. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 1.7% during the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 46,208 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,608,000 after buying an additional 794 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP purchased a new position in Valvoline in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $865,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO J Kevin Willis purchased 12,725 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.41 per share, with a total value of $501,492.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 12,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $501,492.25. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of VVV stock traded up $0.24 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $39.57. 325,544 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,726,018. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $31.01 and a fifty-two week high of $43.74. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The stock has a market cap of $5.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40 and a beta of 1.17.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $439.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $436.35 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 84.85% and a net margin of 16.43%.The firm's revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VVV. Cfra Research raised Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Piper Sandler restated an "overweight" rating and set a $44.00 target price (down previously from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $40.00 to $45.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, 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. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.31.

Valvoline 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.