Federated Hermes Inc. Cuts Stock Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Federated Hermes Inc. lowered its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 3.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,331 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 539 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $482,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VVV. Huntington National Bank raised its stake in Valvoline by 1,004.9% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 895 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth $36,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings in Valvoline by 466.7% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth $73,000. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.67.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $33.47 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.01 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.62 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $37.79. Valvoline Inc. has a 12 month low of $31.02 and a 12 month high of $48.27. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. As a group, analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

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.