Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Holdings Cut by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 300,432 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 764 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.23% of Valvoline worth $10,870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. MAI Capital Management increased its holdings in Valvoline by 2.4% in the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 11,624 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 47,602 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,992,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 19,215 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 16,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $589,000 after purchasing an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 13,871 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $581,000 after purchasing an additional 540 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $76,560.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,240. This represents a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on VVV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price target (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.40.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.6 %

VVV opened at $36.86 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.64 and a beta of 1.45. Valvoline Inc. has a 1-year low of $33.90 and a 1-year high of $48.26. The business has a 50 day moving average of $37.03 and a 200-day moving average of $39.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

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.