Blue Trust Inc. Grows Stock Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 90.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,538 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,206 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $92,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 12,234 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $443,000 after acquiring an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Valvoline by 34.8% in the fourth quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,780 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $752,000 after purchasing an additional 5,363 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 24.9% in the 4th quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 8,805 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $319,000 after purchasing an additional 1,753 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,340,000. Finally, Oak Thistle LLC raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 314.7% during the 4th quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 20,117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $728,000 after buying an additional 15,266 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VVV has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho decreased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Three 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, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.11.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $38.74 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.90 and a 12-month high of $48.26. The stock has a market cap of $4.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.91 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77. The company has a 50-day moving average of $37.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $39.96.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 197.22% and a net margin of 13.06%. As a group, research analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In other news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,044,261.50. This trade represents a 60.84 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

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.