Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Acquired by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 46.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 858 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $117,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Valvoline by 57.9% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the period. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Valvoline by 6.1% in the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 6,292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in Valvoline by 2.0% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 27,158 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,173,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 1.2% in the second quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 46,713 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,018,000 after purchasing an additional 541 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 1.6% during the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 34,481 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,490,000 after purchasing an additional 544 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on VVV. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird began coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.57.

Valvoline Stock Up 1.1 %

VVV stock opened at $40.74 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.00 and a beta of 1.45. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.15 and a 52-week high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.03). Valvoline had a return on equity of 182.88% and a net margin of 10.45%. The firm had revenue of $421.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $425.17 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.53 EPS for the current year.

Valvoline announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, July 30th that permits the company to buyback $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the basic materials company to repurchase up to 7.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.