Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management Decreases Stock Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management decreased its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 13.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,388 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 992 shares during the period. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $231,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby bought 10,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $39.50 per share, with a total value of $395,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 Up 0.8 %

VVV stock opened at $37.73 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.86 and a 52-week high of $48.26. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.30. The firm has a market cap of $4.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.29 and a beta of 1.45.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VVV has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stephens started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.89.

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.