Boston Partners Buys Shares of 2,377,320 Valvoline (NYSE:VVV)

Key Points

• Boston Partners acquired a significant stake in Valvoline, purchasing 2,377,320 shares valued at approximately $82.75 million, representing around 1.87% ownership in the company.
• Insider activity was noted as CEO Lori Ann Flees bought 3,000 shares of Valvoline at an average price of $33.78, increasing her holdings by 6.88%.
• Valvoline's shares opened at $39.88 with analysts projecting a Moderate Buy consensus rating and an average target price of $42.31 following a quarter where it reported $0.47 EPS, exceeding expectations.

Boston Partners purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 2,377,320 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $82,748,000. Boston Partners owned approximately 1.87% of Valvoline as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 1st quarter worth about $35,000. American National Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Valvoline during the first quarter worth approximately $40,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Valvoline by 221.8% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,181 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the period. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 50.8% in the first quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 145.4% during the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 1,531 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $53,000 after buying an additional 907 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In related news, CFO J Kevin Willis bought 12,725 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $39.41 per share, for a total transaction of $501,492.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 12,725 shares of the company's stock, valued at $501,492.25. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 3,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $33.78 per share, with a total value of $101,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 46,614 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,574,620.92. This trade represents a 6.88% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VVV. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $44.00 target price (down previously from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Cfra Research upgraded shares of Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $42.31.

Valvoline Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of Valvoline stock traded down $0.13 during trading on Friday, hitting $39.27. 1,466,912 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,865,378. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $37.33 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.07. The stock has a market cap of $4.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.27 and a beta of 1.17. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $31.01 and a 12-month high of $43.74.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $439.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $436.35 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 84.85% and a net margin of 16.43%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.45 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.