Congress Asset Management Co. Has $153.03 Million Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 2.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,656,672 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 100,305 shares during the quarter. Valvoline accounts for about 1.0% of Congress Asset Management Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. Congress Asset Management Co. owned about 2.84% of Valvoline worth $153,032,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VVV. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 3.6% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,720,748 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $117,534,000 after buying an additional 94,673 shares during the period. Sculptor Capital LP boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 187.6% in the second quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 1,879,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $81,194,000 after buying an additional 1,226,000 shares during the period. Commerce Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.8% in the first quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 1,197,378 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $53,367,000 after buying an additional 10,086 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 6.4% in the second quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,130,920 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $48,857,000 after buying an additional 68,340 shares during the period. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 30.1% in the second quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 828,403 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $35,787,000 after buying an additional 191,504 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Baird R W raised shares of Valvoline to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $49.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $47.75.

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE VVV traded down $0.17 on Thursday, hitting $40.28. 806,777 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,185,303. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.62. The business's fifty day moving average is $41.20 and its 200 day moving average is $42.02. Valvoline Inc. has a 52 week low of $29.15 and a 52 week high of $48.26. The company has a market capitalization of $5.19 billion, a PE ratio of 32.29 and a beta of 1.45.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.03). Valvoline had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 182.88%. The company had revenue of $421.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.17 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. Valvoline's revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valvoline declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, July 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the basic materials company to purchase up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.