Teza Capital Management LLC Decreases Position in Valvoline $VVV

Key Points

• Teza Capital Management LLC reduced its stake in Valvoline by 45.6%, selling 20,939 shares, bringing its total holdings to 24,955 shares valued at $869,000.
• Institutional ownership of Valvoline stands at 96.13%, with various firms making significant adjustments to their positions, including increases from Versant Capital Management and UMB Bank.
• Analysts have varying ratings on Valvoline, with some upgrades to a "buy" rating from Goldman Sachs, while others, like Wall Street Zen, downgraded it to a "sell," leading to a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Teza Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 45.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 24,955 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 20,939 shares during the quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC's holdings in Valvoline were worth $869,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its stake in Valvoline by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,425 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $775,000 after buying an additional 277 shares in the last quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC lifted its stake in Valvoline by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 9,544 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $332,000 after buying an additional 387 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Valvoline by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,773 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $607,000 after buying an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares during the period. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,124 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $800,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of Valvoline stock traded down $0.38 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $40.18. The stock had a trading volume of 277,294 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,719,361. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.70 and a beta of 1.21. Valvoline has a 1 year low of $31.01 and a 1 year high of $43.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $36.20.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. The business 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 company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, CFO J Kevin Willis acquired 12,725 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The stock was bought 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 directly owned 12,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $501,492.25. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VVV shares. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Valvoline from $44.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen lowered Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, September 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valvoline currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.77.

Valvoline Company 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.