HighTower Advisors LLC Sells 729 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV – Get Rating) by 1.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 45,132 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 729 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $1,467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Valvoline by 15.9% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 9,875 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 1,355 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in Valvoline by 6.9% during the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 57,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,801,000 after acquiring an additional 3,687 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE raised its holdings in Valvoline by 47.0% during the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 21,610 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $682,000 after acquiring an additional 6,914 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Valvoline by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 26,908 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $849,000 after acquiring an additional 1,456 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. bought a new stake in Valvoline during the 1st quarter valued at $265,000. Institutional investors own 90.20% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup cut shares of Valvoline from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $37.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valvoline from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $40.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 11th.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.4 %

VVV opened at $38.16 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a one year low of $24.40 and a one year high of $39.67. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $35.28 and a 200-day moving average price of $34.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 4.24 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 3.95 and a quick ratio of 3.90.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 10th. The basic materials company reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 79.50% and a return on equity of 50.51%. The company had revenue of $344.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $347.12 million. Equities research analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Heidi J. Matheys sold 5,823 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.25, for a total value of $205,260.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 37,159 shares in the company, valued at $1,309,854.75. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Valvoline news, SVP Heidi J. Matheys sold 5,823 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.25, for a total value of $205,260.75. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 37,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,309,854.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Heidi J. Matheys sold 2,546 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.64, for a total transaction of $98,377.44. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 37,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,435,823.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.99% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Valvoline Profile

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Valvoline, Inc engages in the production, marketing, and supply of engine and automotive maintenance products and services. It operates through the Retail Services segment. The Retail Services segment services the passenger car and light truck quick lube market in the US and Canada with preventive maintenance services done through company operated and independent franchise care stores.