Xponance Inc. Boosts Stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Xponance Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,867 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $1,008,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $171,436,000 after acquiring an additional 16,916 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in Valvoline by 118.2% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 67,948 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,844,000 after acquiring an additional 36,814 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% during 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 purchasing an additional 54,545 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Valvoline by 52.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 53,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,242,000 after acquiring an additional 18,414 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Confluence Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at about $9,095,000. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE:VVV opened at $35.28 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.88 and a beta of 1.48. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.90 and a twelve month high of $48.27. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $36.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $38.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

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 net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.