Swiss National Bank Decreases Stock Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Swiss National Bank reduced its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 10.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 259,665 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 30,300 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.20% of Valvoline worth $9,758,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $57,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in Valvoline during the 3rd quarter valued at $60,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Valvoline by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,876 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valvoline Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:VVV traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $41.82. The company had a trading volume of 1,304,604 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,195,100. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $43.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.83, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $5.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.19 and a beta of 1.45. Valvoline Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.15 and a 1-year high of $45.37.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $388.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $390.75 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 11.78% and a return on equity of 136.59%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.23 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

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.