Virtu Financial LLC Acquires Shares of 8,680 Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 8,680 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $314,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VVV. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 77,454 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,802,000 after buying an additional 4,704 shares in the last quarter. Sciencast Management LP purchased a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth approximately $238,000. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 560.5% during the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 2,169 shares during the last quarter. Xponance Inc. grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 27,867 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Royce & Associates LP increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,262,293 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $45,670,000 after purchasing an additional 11,111 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In related news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $572,560.05. The trade was 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 available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $35.25 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $36.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $38.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.87 and a beta of 1.48. Valvoline Inc. has a 1-year low of $33.90 and a 1-year high of $48.27.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. Analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.40.

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.