35,586 Shares in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Purchased by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 35,586 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,287,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,893,648 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $466,492,000 after purchasing an additional 101,834 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in Valvoline by 11.1% in the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $391,405,000 after buying an additional 1,080,114 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 35.1% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Management Inc. WI now owns 4,221,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $152,726,000 after buying an additional 1,096,486 shares during the period. Alua Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Alua Capital Management LP now owns 3,605,281 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $130,439,000 after buying an additional 175,848 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,608,067 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $94,362,000 after acquiring an additional 6,871 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. TD Securities started coverage on Valvoline in a report on Friday, April 4th. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $42.33.

Valvoline Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $34.92 on Monday. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $31.02 and a 12-month high of $48.27. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $34.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $36.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.71 and a beta of 1.20.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.02). Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. The firm had revenue of $403.20 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $405.38 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.37 earnings per share. Valvoline’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Company 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.