Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Boosts Stock Position in Valvoline $VVV

Key Points

• Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd increased its stake in Valvoline shares by 83.7%, acquiring 27,021 additional shares and bringing its total ownership to 59,311 shares valued at $2,065,000.
• Valvoline's CFO J Kevin Willis purchased 12,725 shares at an average price of $39.41, resulting in a total investment of around $501,492.
• Equities research analysts have provided mixed ratings on Valvoline, with Wells Fargo and The Goldman Sachs Group raising their price targets, while Wall Street Zen downgraded the stock from "hold" to "sell."

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd raised its stake in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 83.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 59,311 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 27,021 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd's holdings in Valvoline were worth $2,065,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its stake in Valvoline by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,425 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $775,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC raised its stake in Valvoline by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Isthmus Partners LLC now owns 9,544 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $332,000 after acquiring an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Valvoline by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 16,773 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 6,033 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 416 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 22,124 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Valvoline news, CFO J Kevin Willis purchased 12,725 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were bought at an average price 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $501,492.25. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Stephens lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 29th. Cfra Research raised Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $40.00 to $45.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.31.

Valvoline Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of Valvoline stock opened at $39.01 on Friday. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $31.01 and a 12-month high of $43.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37. The stock has a market cap of $4.96 billion, a PE ratio of 18.14 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a 50-day moving average of $38.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $36.12.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.43% and a return on equity of 84.85%. The company had revenue of $439.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $436.35 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.45 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS 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.

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