Cerity Partners LLC Takes $1.05 Million Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 27,916 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,049,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VVV. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 127.1% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 820 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 123.0% during the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 18,564 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $599,000 after buying an additional 10,241 shares during the last quarter. Ziegler Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Valvoline by 14.7% during the third quarter. Ziegler Capital Management LLC now owns 290,665 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $9,371,000 after buying an additional 37,324 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC purchased a new stake in Valvoline in the 3rd quarter valued at $527,000. Finally, L. Roy Papp & Associates LLP bought a new position in Valvoline during the 3rd quarter valued at $387,000. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Valvoline from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Mizuho assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded Valvoline from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $37.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on Valvoline from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.75.

Valvoline Stock Performance

VVV traded up $0.65 on Monday, hitting $41.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,198,373 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,177,392. Valvoline Inc. has a 12 month low of $29.15 and a 12 month high of $45.37. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $42.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.50. The company has a quick ratio of 2.14, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02. The firm has a market cap of $5.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.20 and a beta of 1.44.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.29. Valvoline had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 92.04%. The business had revenue of $373.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $380.10 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.16 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.61 EPS 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.