Blueshift Asset Management LLC Has $963,000 Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 364.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,013 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,054 shares during the quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC's holdings in Valvoline were worth $963,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Sculptor Capital LP raised its holdings in Valvoline by 187.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 1,879,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $81,194,000 after acquiring an additional 1,226,000 shares during the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,670,000. Fiera Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,538,000. F M Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $11,992,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can boosted its position in Valvoline by 438.7% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 308,699 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $12,919,000 after buying an additional 251,398 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valvoline Trading Up 3.4 %

Shares of VVV stock traded up $1.31 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $40.10. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,315,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,203,307. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.86 and a 12-month high of $48.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.15 billion, a PE ratio of 23.94 and a beta of 1.46. 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 $41.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $41.85.

Valvoline announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, July 30th that allows the company to repurchase $400.00 million in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the basic materials company to purchase up to 7.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby bought 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $39.50 per share, with a total value of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.34% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Baird R W raised shares of Valvoline to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $46.25.

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.