Wasatch Advisors LP Buys 1,080,114 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 11.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 1,080,114 shares during the quarter. Valvoline accounts for approximately 1.9% of Wasatch Advisors LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Wasatch Advisors LP owned 8.43% of Valvoline worth $391,405,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Stifel Financial Corp boosted its position in Valvoline by 21.1% during the 3rd quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 68,932 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,885,000 after acquiring an additional 11,999 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 72.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 98,529 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $4,123,000 after acquiring an additional 41,245 shares during the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in Valvoline in the third quarter worth $301,000. MML Investors Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 17.6% during the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 13,624 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $570,000 after purchasing an additional 2,035 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 52.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 53,580 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,242,000 after buying an additional 18,414 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on VVV shares. TD Securities began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho lowered their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $43.67.

Valvoline Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of VVV stock traded down $0.54 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $32.94. The company had a trading volume of 303,392 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,365,883. Valvoline Inc. has a 12 month low of $31.02 and a 12 month high of $48.27. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company has a market cap of $4.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.76 and a beta of 1.32.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating 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, research analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share 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.