KBC Group NV Increases Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 61.1% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,647 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,763 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $168,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 16,916 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 422,989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,702,000 after purchasing an additional 31,661 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new position in shares of Valvoline during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,628,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in Valvoline by 118.2% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 67,948 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,844,000 after buying an additional 36,814 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake 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 buying an additional 54,545 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VVV has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective 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 reduced their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target for the company. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, November 20th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.89.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $39.50 per share, with a total value of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now 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 ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 2,500 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.64 per share, with a total value of $99,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 38,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,523,285.92. The trade was a 6.96 % 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 insiders.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $36.86 on Thursday. Valvoline Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.86 and a fifty-two week high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.72. The company has a market cap of $4.73 billion, a PE ratio of 22.75 and a beta of 1.45. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $37.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.98.

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.