CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co Cuts Stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co cut its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 31.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 108,810 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 49,720 shares during the period. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co owned 0.08% of Valvoline worth $3,936,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 52.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 53,580 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,242,000 after buying an additional 18,414 shares during the period. Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth about $9,095,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Valvoline by 1.0% during 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 last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 25.5% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 9,060 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $349,000 after purchasing an additional 1,838 shares during the period. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth about $223,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Price Performance

NYSE:VVV traded down $0.36 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $34.31. 1,386,859 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,376,750. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The firm has a market cap of $4.36 billion, a PE ratio of 16.42 and a beta of 1.32. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $31.02 and a twelve month high of $48.27. The stock's 50-day moving average is $34.95 and its 200-day moving average is $37.47.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $38.00 price target (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Four research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.50.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

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.