Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Has $269,000 Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lessened its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 30.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,858 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $269,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 92.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 57.9% during the second 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 purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Mather Group LLC. boosted 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 buying an additional 760 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 46.5% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on VVV shares. Robert W. Baird began coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 price objective on the stock. Baird R W upgraded Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Stephens began coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Finally, 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. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.75.

Valvoline Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $42.19 on Tuesday. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.15 and a 52-week high of $48.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.48 and a beta of 1.45. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $41.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $42.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.73.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 182.88%. The company had revenue of $421.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $425.17 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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 fiscal year.

Valvoline declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, July 30th that permits the company to repurchase $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to purchase up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is 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.