Leavell Investment Management Inc. Has $470,000 Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Leavell Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 4.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,236 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Leavell Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $470,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in Valvoline by 92.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 57.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 1,617.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 760 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 46.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on VVV. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Stephens began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 target price on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird started coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valvoline currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.75.

Valvoline Price Performance

VVV stock opened at $42.93 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.90 and a beta of 1.46. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.15 and a 52-week high of $48.26. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $41.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.73.

Valvoline announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, July 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $400.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the basic materials company to reacquire up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is 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.