Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Purchased by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 376.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,170 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $592,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 57.9% in 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 in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline during the second quarter worth $34,000. Mather Group LLC. raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 760 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 176.9% during the first quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,886 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 1,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 46.6% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on VVV shares. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Baird R W upgraded Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valvoline has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.57.

Valvoline Stock Up 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $41.22 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.71 and a beta of 1.45. 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 50 day simple moving average of $40.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $42.14. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.15 and a 1 year high of $48.26.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its earnings results 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). Valvoline had a return on equity of 182.88% and a net margin of 10.45%. The business had revenue of $421.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.17 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. Valvoline’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Valvoline announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $400.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the basic materials company to repurchase up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Valvoline Company 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.