Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Purchased by Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 10.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,380 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 698 shares during the quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $329,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 99.8% in the 1st quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 301,983 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,459,000 after purchasing an additional 150,867 shares during the last quarter. Commerce Bank boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 1,197,378 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $53,367,000 after purchasing an additional 10,086 shares during the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,846,000. Norden Group LLC boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 55.6% in the 1st quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 11,793 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $526,000 after purchasing an additional 4,214 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Violich Capital Management Inc. acquired a new position in Valvoline in the 1st quarter valued at about $204,000. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VVV shares. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, June 7th. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Wednesday, June 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.88.

Valvoline Stock Up 2.4 %

VVV traded up $1.08 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $45.78. 1,268,191 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,183,110. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $29.15 and a 12-month high of $46.15. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $42.02 and a 200 day moving average of $41.01. The firm has a market cap of $5.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.33 and a beta of 1.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.83.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.36 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 11.78% and a return on equity of 136.59%. The firm had revenue of $388.70 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $390.75 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.23 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.