Private Advisor Group LLC Acquires New Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Private Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 6,174 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $223,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $171,436,000 after purchasing an additional 16,916 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 422,989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,702,000 after acquiring an additional 31,661 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 3rd quarter worth $4,628,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 118.2% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 67,948 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,844,000 after purchasing an additional 36,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $93,215,000 after purchasing an additional 54,545 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $76,560.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % 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.

Valvoline Stock Down 1.0 %

Valvoline stock opened at $35.20 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.84 and a beta of 1.45. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $36.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.23. Valvoline Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.90 and a fifty-two week high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.70.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. Analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VVV shares. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.