B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Sells 2,449 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lowered its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 108,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,449 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG owned about 0.08% of Valvoline worth $3,913,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VVV. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $171,436,000 after acquiring an additional 16,916 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Valvoline by 2.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $93,215,000 after purchasing an additional 54,545 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Valvoline by 52.4% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 53,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,242,000 after purchasing an additional 18,414 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at $9,095,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,642,754 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $59,435,000 after buying an additional 16,912 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valvoline Stock Down 0.7 %

VVV stock opened at $34.86 on Tuesday. 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 $48.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.68 and a beta of 1.48. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $36.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.54.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. Equities analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VVV has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.