Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Position Trimmed by Park Place Capital Corp

Park Place Capital Corp trimmed its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 23.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,232 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 376 shares during the period. Park Place Capital Corp’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $45,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 16.8% during the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $407,541,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398,310 shares in the last quarter. Sculptor Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 187.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 1,879,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $81,194,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226,000 shares in the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,670,000. Fiera Capital Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the third quarter valued at $25,538,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at about $17,340,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on VVV. Mizuho reduced their target price 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 reduced their target price on shares of Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stephens began coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.89.

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE VVV opened at $36.35 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.86 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $37.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $40.56. The stock has a market cap of $4.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.44 and a beta of 1.45.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In related news, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 2,500 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.64 per share, for a total transaction of $99,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,428 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,523,285.92. This represents a 6.96 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby bought 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $39.50 per share, with a total value of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 26,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 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.