Handelsbanken Fonder AB Sells 3,600 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lessened its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 8.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 37,800 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 3,600 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $1,368,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. MAI Capital Management lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 11,624 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $486,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 0.7% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 47,602 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,992,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 19,215 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $695,000 after acquiring an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC grew its position in Valvoline by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 16,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $589,000 after acquiring an additional 396 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Trust N.A. increased its holdings in Valvoline by 4.1% during 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $36.94 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $4.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.68 and a beta of 1.45. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $37.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.40. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.90 and a 1 year high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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%. Research analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valvoline news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $76,560.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at $598,240. This trade represents a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.40.

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.