Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 7,724 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Baird Financial Group Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 26.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 21,791 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 7,724 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 52.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 53,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,242,000 after purchasing an additional 18,414 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,642,754 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $59,435,000 after purchasing an additional 16,912 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 33.7% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 15,909 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 4,013 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 24.9% during the fourth quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 8,805 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 1,753 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VVV shares. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $44.00 price objective (down from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, May 9th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. TD Securities assumed coverage on Valvoline in a report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.33.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:VVV opened at $34.90 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $34.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $36.87. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.02 and a 52-week 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 cap of $4.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.70 and a beta of 1.20.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $403.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $405.38 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. The business’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.37 EPS. On average, 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.