Clearbridge Investments LLC Takes $5.34 Million Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Clearbridge Investments LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 123,657 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,342,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned 0.10% of Valvoline as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Mather Group LLC. increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 1,617.0% during the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 760 shares during the last quarter. Park Place Capital Corp raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 176.9% in the 1st quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,886 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $84,000 after acquiring an additional 1,205 shares during the period. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $106,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on VVV shares. Baird R W upgraded shares of Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target on the stock. Two 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.57.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $41.27 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The company has a market cap of $5.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.75 and a beta of 1.45. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $41.45 and its two-hundred day moving average is $42.32. Valvoline Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.15 and a 1-year high of $48.26.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valvoline announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback 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 repurchase up to 7.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Valvoline 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.