Winch Advisory Services LLC Buys 1,837 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Winch Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 87.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,927 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,837 shares during the quarter. Winch Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $164,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VVV. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in Valvoline by 25.1% in the first quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 8,507,925 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $379,198,000 after purchasing an additional 1,706,190 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Valvoline by 3.6% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,720,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $117,534,000 after purchasing an additional 94,673 shares in the last quarter. Sculptor Capital LP boosted its stake in Valvoline by 187.6% in the second quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 1,879,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $81,194,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226,000 shares in the last quarter. Commerce Bank lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 0.8% during the first quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 1,197,378 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $53,367,000 after acquiring an additional 10,086 shares during the period. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 6.4% during the second quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,130,920 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $48,857,000 after acquiring an additional 68,340 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valvoline Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $41.56 on Tuesday. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.15 and a 1 year high of $48.26. The business has a 50-day moving average of $41.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.07. The company has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.98 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.03). Valvoline had a return on equity of 182.88% and a net margin of 10.45%. The business had revenue of $421.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $425.17 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.53 EPS for the current year.

Valvoline declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, July 30th that permits the company to buyback $400.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the basic materials company to repurchase up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the topic of several research reports. Stephens initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Baird R W raised Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Valvoline currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.75.

About Valvoline

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.