Bessemer Group Inc. Has $3.30 Million Stock Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 16.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 91,327 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 13,205 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.07% of Valvoline worth $3,304,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth about $54,114,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Valvoline by 766.6% during the 4th quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 644,980 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $23,335,000 after acquiring an additional 570,550 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $17,340,000. Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 56.3% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. grew its stake in Valvoline by 28.5% in the fourth 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VVV traded up $0.26 on Friday, hitting $33.47. The company had a trading volume of 910,878 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,366,040. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $35.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $37.79. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The stock has a market cap of $4.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.01 and a beta of 1.32. Valvoline Inc. has a 1-year low of $31.02 and a 1-year high of $48.27.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. Analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VVV has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. TD Securities began coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.67.

Valvoline Company 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.