Advisors Preferred LLC Sells 99,405 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Advisors Preferred LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 74.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,228 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 99,405 shares during the period. Advisors Preferred LLC's holdings in Valvoline were worth $1,191,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in Valvoline by 16.8% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $407,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398,310 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $171,436,000 after purchasing an additional 16,916 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 3,656,672 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $153,032,000 after purchasing an additional 100,305 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $93,215,000 after purchasing an additional 54,545 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Valvoline by 1.2% during the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,625,842 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $68,041,000 after buying an additional 19,877 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho cut 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. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $38.00 price objective (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $49.00 price target on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valvoline currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $45.11.

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $76,560.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $598,240. This trade represents a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Valvoline Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of VVV stock traded down $0.47 on Wednesday, reaching $39.63. The company had a trading volume of 2,245,071 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,682,838. The stock has a market cap of $5.08 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a 50-day moving average of $37.04 and a 200-day moving average of $39.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. Valvoline Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.90 and a 12 month high of $48.26.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last posted its 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, equities analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.64 earnings per share for the current year.

Valvoline 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.