Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Sold by Larson Financial Group LLC

Larson Financial Group LLC trimmed its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 95.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,435 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 54,630 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $92,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $265,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Valvoline by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 12,738 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $411,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System grew its position in Valvoline by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 37,559 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Valvoline by 10.0% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,889 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $184,000 after purchasing an additional 444 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Mizuho started coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 target price for the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on Valvoline from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Valvoline from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $37.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.75.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $42.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a current ratio of 2.24. The firm has a market cap of $5.51 billion, a PE ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 1.44. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $42.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.65. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.15 and a twelve month high of $45.37.

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

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.