Trexquant Investment LP Sells 100,442 Shares of Valvoline $VVV

Key Points

• Trexquant Investment LP has significantly reduced its stake in Valvoline by 65.0%, now holding 54,188 shares valued at approximately $1.89 million.
• The stock has gained attention from analysts, with Goldman Sachs upgrading Valvoline to a "buy" rating and raising the price target from $40.00 to $45.00.
• Valvoline reported a 4.2% increase in revenue year-over-year, achieving $439 million for the quarter while beating the earnings per share estimate.

Trexquant Investment LP lowered its stake in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 65.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 54,188 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 100,442 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP's holdings in Valvoline were worth $1,886,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,425 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $775,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 4.2% during the first quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 9,544 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,773 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $607,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $218,000 after acquiring an additional 416 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,124 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $800,000 after buying an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO J Kevin Willis purchased 12,725 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.41 per share, for a total transaction of $501,492.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $501,492.25. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Valvoline Price Performance

NYSE VVV traded down $0.42 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $39.34. 2,403,166 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,359,884. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.18. Valvoline has a 1 year low of $31.01 and a 1 year high of $43.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.30 and a beta of 1.21.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen downgraded Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Stephens increased their price objective on Valvoline from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.77.

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.