Meeder Asset Management Inc. Trims Stock Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Meeder Asset Management Inc. decreased its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 49.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,277 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 13,885 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $517,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Valvoline Stock Down 0.7 %

VVV stock opened at $34.86 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $36.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $38.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.68 and a beta of 1.48. Valvoline Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.90 and a fifty-two 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.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 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 research analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VVV shares. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Mizuho decreased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Valvoline currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.40.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

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

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.