Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Acquired by Leavell Investment Management Inc.

Leavell Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 16.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,736 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $479,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. Raymond James & Associates boosted its position in Valvoline by 21.5% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 179,682 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,008,000 after acquiring an additional 31,814 shares during the period. Everett Harris & Co. CA boosted its position in Valvoline by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 110,912 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $4,943,000 after acquiring an additional 3,580 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC boosted its position in Valvoline by 2,089.1% during the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 165,914 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $7,395,000 after acquiring an additional 158,335 shares during the period. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its position in Valvoline by 25.1% during the 1st quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 8,507,925 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $379,198,000 after acquiring an additional 1,706,190 shares during the period. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its position in Valvoline by 28.1% during the 1st quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,062,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,359,000 after acquiring an additional 233,285 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on VVV shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Mizuho started coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valvoline has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.75.

Valvoline Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of VVV stock traded down $1.09 on Thursday, reaching $39.96. 607,332 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,173,501. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $29.15 and a 12-month high of $45.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.83, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a current ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.87 and a beta of 1.45. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $42.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.22.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $388.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $390.75 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 136.59% and a net margin of 11.78%. Valvoline’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.23 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

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.