Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Sold by Ameriprise Financial Inc.

Ameriprise Financial Inc. trimmed its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 4.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 988,687 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 45,645 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned 0.77% of Valvoline worth $35,771,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VVV. Barclays PLC boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 52.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 53,580 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,242,000 after acquiring an additional 18,414 shares in the last quarter. Oak Thistle LLC raised its holdings in Valvoline by 314.7% during the fourth quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 20,117 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $728,000 after purchasing an additional 15,266 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth $17,340,000. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its position in Valvoline by 24.9% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 8,805 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $319,000 after purchasing an additional 1,753 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sendero Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Valvoline by 34.8% during the fourth quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,780 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $752,000 after purchasing an additional 5,363 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on VVV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, TD Securities assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $42.33.

Valvoline Stock Up 6.0%

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $34.97 on Tuesday. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $31.02 and a 1 year high of $48.27. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $34.41 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.90. The firm has a market cap of $4.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.73 and a beta of 1.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.02). Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. The firm had revenue of $403.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $405.38 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.37 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

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.

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