1,495,692 Shares in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Purchased by Norges Bank

Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 1,495,692 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $54,114,000. Norges Bank owned about 1.17% of Valvoline as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 766.6% during the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 644,980 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $23,335,000 after purchasing an additional 570,550 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth about $17,340,000. Geneva Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Valvoline by 56.3% during the 4th quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,220,453 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $44,156,000 after acquiring an additional 439,809 shares during the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its position in Valvoline by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,577,313 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $57,067,000 after acquiring an additional 349,778 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth about $9,420,000. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.3 %

NYSE:VVV opened at $34.57 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $32.99 and a 1 year high of $48.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $36.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.41. The stock has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.54 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In related news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 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.