Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Purchases New Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 829,295 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $31,165,000. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned approximately 0.64% of Valvoline at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VVV. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in Valvoline by 20.3% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,876 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Valvoline by 54.9% during the first quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 931 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Valvoline by 6.1% during the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $265,000 after acquiring an additional 403 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Valvoline by 3.5% during the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 12,738 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $411,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System increased its stake in Valvoline by 1.2% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 37,559 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $1,211,000 after acquiring an additional 438 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on VVV shares. Mizuho started coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Morgan Stanley raised Valvoline from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $37.00 to $44.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Citigroup upped their target price on Valvoline from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $42.75.

Valvoline Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE VVV traded up $0.75 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $43.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 684,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,025,520. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02. The business's 50 day moving average is $41.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $36.69. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $29.15 and a 12-month high of $45.37. The firm has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.38 and a beta of 1.44.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.29. The company had revenue of $373.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $380.10 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 92.04%. Valvoline's quarterly revenue was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.16 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.6 EPS for the current year.

Valvoline Company 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.