Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Stake Decreased by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund trimmed its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 21.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 180,134 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 49,752 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $6,769,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Park Place Capital Corp acquired a new position in Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 127.1% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after purchasing an additional 820 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at about $57,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $60,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Valvoline by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,876 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valvoline Trading Up 2.5 %

NYSE:VVV opened at $43.62 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.66 billion, a PE ratio of 5.42 and a beta of 1.45. Valvoline Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $29.15 and a fifty-two week high of $45.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 2.14. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $43.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.01.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29. Valvoline had a net margin of 92.04% and a return on equity of 41.83%. The firm had revenue of $373.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $380.10 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.16 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on VVV shares. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup lifted their target price on Valvoline from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Valvoline from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Valvoline from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $37.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.75.

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.