Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. Sells 200,000 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 700,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 200,000 shares during the quarter. Schwartz Investment Counsel Inc. owned approximately 0.54% of Valvoline worth $29,316,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in Valvoline by 92.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 57.9% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 1,617.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 760 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 46.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valvoline Stock Performance

VVV stock opened at $41.72 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.14 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.06. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.15 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The firm has a market cap of $5.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.11 and a beta of 1.45.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analysts’ expectations of $425.17 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stephens initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup increased their target price on Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Baird R W upgraded Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Robert W. Baird began coverage on Valvoline in a report on Thursday, August 15th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.