Atria Investments Inc Sells 3,122 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Atria Investments Inc decreased its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 15.1% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,560 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,122 shares during the quarter. Atria Investments Inc’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $635,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in 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 during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 0.4% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 54,545 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 1.0% during the fourth 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 purchasing an additional 16,912 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 28.5% during the fourth quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,577,313 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $57,067,000 after purchasing an additional 349,778 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VVV shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho cut their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.40.

Valvoline Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $35.46 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.90 and a twelve month high of $48.27. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.97. The firm has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of 16.96 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced 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 return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. Analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Valvoline 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.