1620 Investment Advisors Inc. Raises Stock Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

1620 Investment Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 560.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,169 shares during the quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $92,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Xponance Inc. boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 27,867 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,008,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares during the last quarter. Royce & Associates LP raised its position in Valvoline by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Royce & Associates LP now owns 1,262,293 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $45,670,000 after acquiring an additional 11,111 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 11.3% in the fourth quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 470,651 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,029,000 after acquiring an additional 47,662 shares during the period. Hilton Capital Management LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Hilton Capital Management LLC now owns 46,160 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,670,000 after acquiring an additional 2,002 shares during the period. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth approximately $77,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VVV has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 price target (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.40.

Insider Activity

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $35.28 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a 52 week low of $33.90 and a 52 week 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 firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.88 and a beta of 1.48.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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.