Wellington Management Group LLP Trims Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Wellington Management Group LLP decreased its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 61.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,299,658 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,045,673 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned approximately 1.01% of Valvoline worth $47,022,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VVV. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 70,666.7% in the 3rd quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 10,615 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $444,000 after purchasing an additional 10,600 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 4.6% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 34,685 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,450,000 after acquiring an additional 1,537 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 124.6% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 355,418 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,874,000 after acquiring an additional 197,201 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 23.7% during the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 24,203 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,013,000 after acquiring an additional 4,639 shares during the period. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 21.1% in the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 68,932 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,885,000 after purchasing an additional 11,999 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Valvoline in a report on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. TD Securities initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.67.

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE:VVV opened at $34.57 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.54 and a beta of 1.32. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.99 and a 1 year high of $48.27. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $36.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.39. 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 (NYSE:VVV) last released its quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company 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.