B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Trims Stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 108,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 2,449 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $3,913,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in Valvoline by 466.7% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $77,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 90.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,538 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 1,206 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 560.5% in the fourth quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 2,169 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho cut their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 price target (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.40.

Valvoline Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE VVV opened at $34.86 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $36.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $38.54. Valvoline Inc. has a one year low of $33.90 and a one year high of $48.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.70. The company has a market capitalization of $4.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.68 and a beta of 1.48.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal 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.