DAVENPORT & Co LLC Raises Stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,290 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 710 shares during the quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $589,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings 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 grew 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 purchasing 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 grew its holdings 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 period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 period. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VVV. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stephens initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.11.

Valvoline Price Performance

VVV stock opened at $38.74 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.91 and a beta of 1.45. The business’s 50-day moving average is $37.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.96. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.90 and a 1 year high of $48.26.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 197.22% and a net margin of 13.06%. Analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.64 per share, for a total transaction of $99,100.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 38,428 shares in the company, valued at $1,523,285.92. The trade was a 6.96 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.