Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC Sells 512 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,904 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 512 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $687,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VVV. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in Valvoline by 57.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 1,617.0% in the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 760 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 176.9% during the 1st quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,886 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 1,205 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler began coverage on Valvoline in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 target price for the company. Finally, Baird R W upgraded Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.57.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $41.40 on Tuesday. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.15 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $5.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.86 and a beta of 1.45. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.46.

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

Valvoline announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, July 30th that permits the company to buyback $400.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the basic materials company to buy up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

About Valvoline

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.