Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. Acquires Shares of 5,974 Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. acquired a new stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 5,974 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $225,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Dupree Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $338,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,462,000. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,049,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth approximately $229,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth approximately $57,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $42.60 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 2.14. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $29.15 and a 1 year high of $45.37. The company has a market capitalization of $5.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.29 and a beta of 1.44. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $42.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.62.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.29. The company had revenue of $373.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $380.10 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 92.04%. Valvoline’s revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.16 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VVV has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Valvoline from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Mizuho initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised Valvoline from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $37.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.75.

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.