Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Has $664,000 Stock Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lifted its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 38.2% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 15,869 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 4,384 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $664,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 97.6% in the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 29,843 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,330,000 after acquiring an additional 14,739 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Valvoline by 28.8% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 126,232 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $5,453,000 after buying an additional 28,254 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in Valvoline by 6.4% in the second quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,130,920 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $48,857,000 after buying an additional 68,340 shares in the last quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp lifted its stake in Valvoline by 22.8% in the second quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 139,352 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,020,000 after buying an additional 25,885 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 40.5% during the second quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 424,327 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $18,331,000 after acquiring an additional 122,344 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on VVV. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, July 19th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Baird R W raised Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.75.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $42.29 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $41.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $42.04. Valvoline Inc. has a 1-year low of $33.86 and a 1-year high of $48.26. The company has a market cap of $5.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.38 and a beta of 1.46.

Valvoline announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, July 30th that permits the company to repurchase $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to purchase up to 7.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Valvoline 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.