Bank of Montreal Can Has $792,000 Stock Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Bank of Montreal Can decreased its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 92.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 21,888 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 286,811 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can's holdings in Valvoline were worth $792,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Barclays PLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 52.4% in 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 during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline during the 4th quarter valued at $9,095,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 1.0% in the 4th 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 during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in Valvoline by 25.5% in the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 9,060 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $349,000 after purchasing an additional 1,838 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth about $223,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VVV shares. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $38.00 price target (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Finally, TD Securities started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.67.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was 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 approximately $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Valvoline Price Performance

Valvoline stock traded up $0.22 on Thursday, reaching $34.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 240,152 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,366,890. The business's fifty day moving average price is $35.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.58. 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 $4.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.47 and a beta of 1.32. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $31.02 and a twelve month high of $48.27.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. Equities analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.