Bank of Montreal Can Reduces Stock Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Bank of Montreal Can lessened its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 92.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,888 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 286,811 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of VVV. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 52.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 53,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,242,000 after acquiring an additional 18,414 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at about $9,095,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Valvoline by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,642,754 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $59,435,000 after purchasing an additional 16,912 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valvoline by 25.5% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 9,060 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 1,838 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Valvoline in a report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV stock opened at $33.47 on Friday. 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.01 and a beta of 1.32. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $35.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.71.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

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.