Peregrine Capital Management LLC Increases Holdings in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV)

Peregrine Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 211,880 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,123 shares during the period. Peregrine Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.17% of Valvoline worth $7,376,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,642,754 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $59,435,000 after acquiring an additional 16,912 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.7% during the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 46,208 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $1,608,000 after acquiring an additional 794 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the first quarter valued at approximately $496,000. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 33.7% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 15,909 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $576,000 after acquiring an additional 4,013 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $44.00 target price (down previously from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, May 9th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $42.54.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV stock traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.88. 2,050,545 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,513,668. Valvoline has a 12 month low of $31.02 and a 12 month high of $48.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $35.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $35.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.94 billion, a PE ratio of 18.88 and a beta of 1.18.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.02). The firm 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 106.36% and a net margin of 15.97%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.37 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.