Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Bought by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 34,685 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,537 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $1,450,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in Valvoline by 92.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Valvoline by 57.9% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Valvoline during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 46.5% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on VVV shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stephens initiated coverage on Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price objective on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.25.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at $1,044,261.50. This trade represents a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at $598,240. This represents a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.34% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of VVV stock opened at $38.36 on Monday. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.86 and a 1 year high of $48.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.92 billion, a PE ratio of 23.68 and a beta of 1.43. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $40.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.72.

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.