17,475 Shares in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Acquired by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 17,475 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $632,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $407,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398,310 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 16,916 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 2.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $93,215,000 after acquiring an additional 54,545 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,625,842 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $68,041,000 after purchasing an additional 19,877 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,577,313 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $57,067,000 after purchasing an additional 349,778 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Performance

VVV stock opened at $35.22 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $36.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.17. Valvoline Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.90 and a 12 month high of $48.26. The company has a market capitalization of $4.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.85 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $76,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.40.

About Valvoline

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.