Marshall Wace LLP Grows Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 15.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 617,694 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 80,450 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $26,684,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake 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 worth $36,000 after buying an additional 760 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 176.9% during the first quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,886 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 1,205 shares during the last quarter. Finally, YHB Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Valvoline in the 1st quarter valued at about $106,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valvoline Price Performance

VVV stock opened at $42.46 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $42.03 and a 200-day moving average of $42.44. The company has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.69 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $29.15 and a 12-month high of $48.26.

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

Valvoline declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, July 30th that allows the company to buyback $400.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization allows the basic materials company to repurchase up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Baird R W upgraded shares of Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price objective for the company. Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, August 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.57.

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.