Guggenheim Capital LLC Sells 1,511 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Guggenheim Capital LLC reduced its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 10.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,330 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,511 shares during the quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $482,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VVV. Mariner LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 16,793 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $608,000 after purchasing an additional 602 shares during the period. Barclays PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 271.0% in the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 198,785 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $7,192,000 after purchasing an additional 145,205 shares in the last quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 114,664 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,149,000 after buying an additional 2,372 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 56,792 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,055,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the period. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 16.9% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 91,327 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $3,304,000 after buying an additional 13,205 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Trading Down 0.4 %

Valvoline stock opened at $34.69 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.70. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.60 and a beta of 1.32. Valvoline Inc. has a 52 week low of $31.02 and a 52 week high of $48.27.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on VVV shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reissued 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho cut their price target 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, TD Securities initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $43.67.

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.