Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Purchased by Advisory Services Network LLC

Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 80.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,980 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,997 shares during the quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at about $54,114,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Valvoline by 766.6% during the 4th quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 644,980 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $23,335,000 after acquiring an additional 570,550 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at about $17,340,000. Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Valvoline by 56.3% in 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. boosted its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.8 %

NYSE:VVV opened at $33.47 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a 52 week low of $31.02 and a 52 week high of $48.27. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $35.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $37.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.01 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its earnings results 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 return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. Research analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Securities started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $43.67.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

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.