R Squared Ltd Takes Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

R Squared Ltd bought a new position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 3,760 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $136,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 0.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $171,436,000 after buying an additional 16,916 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valvoline by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 422,989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,702,000 after acquiring an additional 31,661 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in Valvoline during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,628,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 118.2% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 67,948 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,844,000 after purchasing an additional 36,814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $93,215,000 after purchasing an additional 54,545 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby bought 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 26,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,044,261.50. This represents a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $39.64 per share, with a total value of $99,100.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 38,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,523,285.92. This represents a 6.96 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.89.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of VVV opened at $37.36 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.06 and a beta of 1.45. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.86 and a 1 year high of $48.26. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $37.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.32.

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.