Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System trimmed its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 11.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 289,010 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 36,468 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned about 0.22% of Valvoline worth $10,861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. CWM LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 127.1% in the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 820 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth about $57,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the third quarter worth about $60,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 20.3% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,876 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $42.50 on Thursday. Valvoline Inc. has a 52 week low of $29.15 and a 52 week high of $45.37. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $43.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.98. The company has a market cap of $5.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.28 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 2.14, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29. The firm had revenue of $373.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $380.10 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 92.04%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.16 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on VVV shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on Valvoline from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Valvoline from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $37.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.75.

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.