Vestor Capital LLC Invests $69,000 in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Vestor Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 1,646 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,000.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of VVV. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 92.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 57.9% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 267 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Mather Group LLC. increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 1,617.0% in the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 760 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Valvoline by 46.5% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $40.70 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.09 and a beta of 1.46. The business’s 50 day moving average is $41.13 and its 200 day moving average is $42.01. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $29.15 and a 12-month high of $48.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.62, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.03). Valvoline had a return on equity of 182.88% and a net margin of 10.45%. The firm had revenue of $421.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $425.17 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valvoline announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, July 30th that permits the company to repurchase $400.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to buy up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada cut their target price on shares of Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Baird R W raised shares of Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 target price for the company. Stephens began coverage on Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $47.75.

Valvoline 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.