Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Sold by Leeward Investments LLC MA

Leeward Investments LLC MA lessened its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 666,423 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 10,911 shares during the quarter. Valvoline accounts for about 1.2% of Leeward Investments LLC MA’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Leeward Investments LLC MA owned approximately 0.51% of Valvoline worth $25,044,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Valvoline by 29.1% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,040,237 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $130,257,000 after purchasing an additional 911,073 shares in the last quarter. Alua Capital Management LP increased its position in Valvoline by 24.7% during the 3rd quarter. Alua Capital Management LP now owns 2,935,539 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $94,642,000 after purchasing an additional 582,400 shares in the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC increased its position in Valvoline by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 2,767,848 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $89,235,000 after purchasing an additional 276,506 shares in the last quarter. Scharf Investments LLC increased its position in Valvoline by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Scharf Investments LLC now owns 2,655,463 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $99,792,000 after purchasing an additional 218,508 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schroder Investment Management Group increased its position in Valvoline by 6.0% during the 3rd quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 1,891,023 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $60,967,000 after purchasing an additional 107,015 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Performance

VVV stock opened at $42.86 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02. The firm has a market cap of $5.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 1.44. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $29.15 and a 12-month high of $45.37. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $42.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.72.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.29. The business had revenue of $373.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $380.10 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 92.04%. The business’s revenue was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.16 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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