Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Purchased by Riverwater Partners LLC

Riverwater Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 33.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,723 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,190 shares during the quarter. Riverwater Partners LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $316,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of VVV. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Valvoline by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,893,648 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $466,492,000 after acquiring an additional 101,834 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its position in Valvoline by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $171,436,000 after purchasing an additional 16,916 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Valvoline by 2.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $93,215,000 after buying an additional 54,545 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Valvoline by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,642,754 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $59,435,000 after buying an additional 16,912 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its stake in Valvoline by 28.5% during the fourth 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 buying an additional 349,778 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $34.57 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.99 and a 12-month high of $48.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The firm has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a PE ratio of 16.54 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $38.41.

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 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In related news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s 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 directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Mizuho dropped their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.67.

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.