Geneva Capital Management LLC Acquires 439,809 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Geneva Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 56.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,220,453 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 439,809 shares during the quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.95% of Valvoline worth $44,156,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 466.7% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 90.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,538 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 1,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $97,000. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

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 transaction of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $76,560.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently commented on VVV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.40.

Valvoline Stock Performance

VVV stock opened at $35.54 on Thursday. 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’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.95 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $39.26. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.90 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The firm has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.00 and a beta of 1.45.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. 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.