Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 350,000 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. lowered its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 50.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 350,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 350,000 shares during the quarter. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. owned approximately 0.27% of Valvoline worth $12,681,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in Valvoline by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $407,541,000 after buying an additional 1,398,310 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 0.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $171,436,000 after acquiring an additional 16,916 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 2.8% in the third quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 3,656,672 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $153,032,000 after acquiring an additional 100,305 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position 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. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Valvoline by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,625,842 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $68,041,000 after purchasing an additional 19,877 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VVV has been the topic of several recent research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Mizuho cut their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Stephens assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.11.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In related news, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $39.64 per share, with a total value of $99,100.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 38,428 shares in the company, valued at $1,523,285.92. This represents a 6.96 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $76,560.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Valvoline Stock Down 0.2 %

Valvoline stock opened at $40.10 on Wednesday. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.90 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The company has a 50 day moving average of $37.02 and a 200-day moving average of $39.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.14 billion, a PE ratio of 19.19 and a beta of 1.45.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 research analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.