Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT Reduces Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT trimmed its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 7.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,712 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 594 shares during the quarter. Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $279,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VVV. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 83.0% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,332 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in Valvoline by 10.6% during the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 199,152 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $8,335,000 after buying an additional 19,091 shares during the last quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 14.0% during the third quarter. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC now owns 18,125 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $759,000 after buying an additional 2,221 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 21.3% during the third quarter. Legacy Wealth Asset Management LLC now owns 8,981 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $376,000 after buying an additional 1,575 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in Valvoline by 7.2% during the third quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 15,088 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $631,000 after buying an additional 1,015 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valvoline Price Performance

VVV stock opened at $36.50 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The company has a market capitalization of $4.64 billion, a PE ratio of 17.46 and a beta of 1.45. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.90 and a 12-month high of $48.26. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $37.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.45.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $76,560.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at $598,240. This represents a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $39.64 per share, for a total transaction of $99,100.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 38,428 shares in the company, valued at $1,523,285.92. This trade represents a 6.96 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VVV shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, 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. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.40.

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.