Valvoline $VVV Shares Sold by Teza Capital Management LLC

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 position in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 45.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Valvoline in the 1st quarter worth $40,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 221.8% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,181 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 50.8% in the 1st quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 145.4% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,531 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 907 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday. Cfra Research upgraded shares of Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price 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. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valvoline has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.31.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Valvoline Price Performance

VVV opened at $39.01 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.14 and a beta of 1.21. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $31.01 and a fifty-two week high of $43.74. The company's 50-day moving average price is $38.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $439.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $436.35 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.43% and a return on equity of 84.85%. Valvoline's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

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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