US Bancorp DE Reduces Position in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV)

US Bancorp DE trimmed its holdings in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) by 38.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,893 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 13,669 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $762,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in Valvoline by 24.9% in the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 2,832 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $100,000 after buying an additional 565 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 101.5% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,170 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $76,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 1.7% in the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 46,208 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,608,000 after acquiring an additional 794 shares during the period. GSA Capital Partners LLP acquired a new position in Valvoline in the first quarter valued at approximately $865,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline in the first quarter valued at approximately $496,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valvoline Price Performance

NYSE VVV opened at $38.40 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.86 and a beta of 1.17. Valvoline has a 1 year low of $31.01 and a 1 year high of $43.74. The business’s fifty day moving average is $37.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.73.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.43% and a return on equity of 84.85%. The company had revenue of $439.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $436.35 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In related news, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $33.78 per share, for a total transaction of $101,340.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 46,614 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,574,620.92. The trade was a 6.88% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VVV shares. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $44.00 price objective (down from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valvoline from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Cfra Research upgraded Valvoline to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $42.31.

Valvoline 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.