Julie Marie O’daniel Sells 6,000 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Stock

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Valvoline Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of VVV opened at $36.86 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.90 and a 1 year high of $48.26. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.03 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.37. The firm has a market cap of $4.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.64 and a beta of 1.45.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. On average, equities analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VVV. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at $54,114,000. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 16.8% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $407,541,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398,310 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 35.1% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,221,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $152,726,000 after purchasing an additional 1,096,486 shares in the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 653.5% in the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,147,254 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,508,000 after purchasing an additional 994,988 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at $35,051,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird decreased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.40.

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.