Sei Investments Co. Has $20 Million Stock Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Sei Investments Co. boosted its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 2.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 552,660 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 13,698 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $19,995,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of VVV. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 16.8% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $407,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398,310 shares during the last quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Valvoline by 766.6% in the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 644,980 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $23,335,000 after purchasing an additional 570,550 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth about $17,340,000. Geneva Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 56.3% during the 4th quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,220,453 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $44,156,000 after purchasing an additional 439,809 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 28.5% during the 4th quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,577,313 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $57,067,000 after purchasing an additional 349,778 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.40.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $35.25 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $36.80 and a 200 day moving average price of $38.61. The company has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.87 and a beta of 1.48. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.90 and a twelve month high of $48.27.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced 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 net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. Research analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

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.