Xponance Inc. Sells 1,791 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Xponance Inc. cut its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 8.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 20,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,791 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $761,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth about $31,165,000. Oak Thistle LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,060,000. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,049,000. First Hawaiian Bank increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 368.1% during the fourth quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 48,622 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,827,000 after acquiring an additional 38,235 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scharf Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 9.0% during the fourth quarter. Scharf Investments LLC now owns 2,655,463 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $99,792,000 after acquiring an additional 218,508 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Valvoline from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $37.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.75.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $42.52 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. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.15 and a twelve month high of $45.37. The company’s 50 day moving average is $42.92 and its 200 day moving average is $37.65. The company has a market cap of $5.51 billion, a PE ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 1.44.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29. The business had revenue of $373.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $380.10 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 92.04% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The business’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.16 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

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.