Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. Boosts Position in Valvoline $VVV

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) by 12.7% in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 23,851 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 2,687 shares during the quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $903,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI grew its holdings in Valvoline by 13.0% during the 1st quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,769,346 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $166,021,000 after buying an additional 548,071 shares in the last quarter. Alua Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 3.6% during the first quarter. Alua Capital Management LP now owns 3,734,466 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $129,997,000 after purchasing an additional 129,185 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the first quarter worth about $82,748,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 29.7% during the first quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 2,045,198 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $71,193,000 after purchasing an additional 467,885 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tensile Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 6.8% during the first quarter. Tensile Capital Management LP now owns 1,965,179 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $68,408,000 after purchasing an additional 125,000 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE:VVV opened at $36.09 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $38.22 and a 200 day moving average of $36.44. The company has a market capitalization of $4.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.79 and a beta of 1.18. Valvoline has a 1-year low of $31.01 and a 1-year high of $43.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.60.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $439.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $436.35 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 84.85% and a net margin of 16.43%.Valvoline’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO J Kevin Willis acquired 12,725 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.41 per share, for a total transaction of $501,492.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 12,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $501,492.25. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on VVV shares. Stephens boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Valvoline from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, September 26th. Cfra Research raised Valvoline to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Valvoline to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 12th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.77.

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.