Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,090 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 123,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 1,090 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.10% of Valvoline worth $4,468,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. ORG Partners LLC grew its holdings 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 last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the 3rd quarter valued at about $69,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 90.5% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,538 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 1,206 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $76,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on VVV shares. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.40.

Valvoline Price Performance

Valvoline stock opened at $36.86 on Friday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.64 and a beta of 1.45. The business has a 50-day moving average of $37.03 and a 200-day moving average of $39.37. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.90 and a 1 year high of $48.26.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. On average, equities 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.