Champlain Investment Partners LLC Takes $35.05 Million Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Champlain Investment Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 968,799 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $35,051,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC owned about 0.76% of Valvoline as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Valvoline by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,893,648 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $466,492,000 after purchasing an additional 101,834 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its position in Valvoline by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $391,405,000 after acquiring an additional 1,080,114 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% during the 3rd 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,642,754 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $59,435,000 after acquiring an additional 16,912 shares during the period. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 28.5% in the 4th 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 purchasing an additional 349,778 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Stock Up 1.0 %

VVV stock traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $34.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 543,786 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,365,350. The firm's 50-day moving average is $35.23 and its 200-day moving average is $37.60. Valvoline Inc. has a 12 month low of $31.02 and a 12 month high of $48.27. The company has a market cap of $4.33 billion, a PE ratio of 16.31 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VVV. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. TD Securities assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $43.67.

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.