Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Acquired by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 28.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,577,313 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 349,778 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 1.23% of Valvoline worth $57,067,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MAI Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 11,624 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $486,000 after acquiring an additional 268 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 92.1% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 47,602 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,992,000 after buying an additional 313 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 19,215 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $695,000 after buying an additional 373 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 16,260 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $589,000 after buying an additional 396 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Valvoline news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $76,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby bought 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Price Performance

VVV stock opened at $38.74 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $37.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.91. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.90 and a 52-week high of $48.26. The company has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.54 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. Analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on VVV shares. 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 research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. 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 on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday. Three equities research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.11.

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.