Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Sold by Congress Wealth Management LLC DE

Congress Wealth Management LLC DE lowered its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 412,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,667 shares during the quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE owned about 0.32% of Valvoline worth $14,933,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,893,648 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $466,492,000 after purchasing an additional 101,834 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 26.5% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 33,872 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,225,000 after buying an additional 7,097 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. lifted its stake in Valvoline by 767.0% during the 4th quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 56,340 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,038,000 after acquiring an additional 49,842 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at $930,000. Finally, AXQ Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth $800,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VVV has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a 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 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 price objective (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.40.

Valvoline Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $35.99 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.22 and a beta of 1.48. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $36.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.69. 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.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced 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%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Company 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.