Valvoline $VVV Stake Boosted by Deutsche Bank AG

Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 12.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 149,059 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,919 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 0.12% of Valvoline worth $5,189,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 1.8% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,673,073 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $58,240,000 after acquiring an additional 30,319 shares during the last quarter. Primecap Management Co. CA acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 1st quarter valued at $944,000. Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,252,659 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $43,605,000 after acquiring an additional 32,206 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 30.2% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 28,101 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $978,000 after purchasing an additional 6,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline during the first quarter worth about $576,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV traded down $0.2770 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $38.8430. 1,173,740 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,751,744. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.07 and a beta of 1.17. 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $37.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $36.10. Valvoline has a twelve month low of $31.01 and a twelve month high of $43.74.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on VVV shares. Citigroup reduced their price target on Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Stephens upped their price objective on Valvoline from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.31.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

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