Gamco Investors INC. ET AL Decreases Stock Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL trimmed its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 109,000 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL owned 0.08% of Valvoline worth $3,944,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in Valvoline by 52.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 53,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,242,000 after buying an additional 18,414 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth $9,095,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.0% in 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 acquiring an additional 16,912 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 72.0% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 98,529 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,123,000 after acquiring an additional 41,245 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, TD Securities assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued 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 assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE VVV opened at $33.47 on Friday. 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 $31.02 and a 1-year high of $48.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.01 and a beta of 1.32. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $35.62 and its 200-day simple moving average is $37.79.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

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.