Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Sold by Hantz Financial Services Inc.

Hantz Financial Services Inc. decreased its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 15.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 189,622 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 34,451 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. owned 0.15% of Valvoline worth $6,861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VVV. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in Valvoline by 16.8% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $407,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398,310 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $171,436,000 after purchasing an additional 16,916 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 3,656,672 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $153,032,000 after purchasing an additional 100,305 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Valvoline by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $93,215,000 after buying an additional 54,545 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Valvoline by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,625,842 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $68,041,000 after buying an additional 19,877 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Price Performance

VVV stock opened at $37.36 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $37.27 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.06 and a beta of 1.45. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.86 and a 1 year high of $48.26.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $76,560.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $598,240. This represents a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $39.50 per share, with a total value of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VVV. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stephens initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.89.

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.