Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 175,000 Shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV)

Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. reduced its holdings in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 49.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 175,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 175,000 shares during the quarter. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. owned about 0.14% of Valvoline worth $6,109,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Huntington National Bank increased its holdings in Valvoline by 1,004.9% in the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 895 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the first quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Valvoline by 221.8% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,181 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares during the period. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Valvoline Stock Up 3.3%

VVV stock opened at $38.27 on Friday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $35.22 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $35.82. 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 1-year low of $31.02 and a 1-year high of $48.27. The stock has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.58 and a beta of 1.17.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). Valvoline had a return on equity of 106.36% and a net margin of 15.97%. The business had revenue of $403.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $405.38 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.37 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $33.78 per share, with a total value of $101,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 46,614 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,574,620.92. This trade represents a 6.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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.

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