Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Position Increased by Oak Thistle LLC

Oak Thistle LLC increased its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 314.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,117 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,266 shares during the quarter. Oak Thistle LLC's holdings in Valvoline were worth $728,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 92.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares during the period. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline during the third quarter worth about $41,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in Valvoline by 466.7% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Valvoline by 83.0% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,332 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 604 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Valvoline by 46.5% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a "hold" rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho cut their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $45.33.

Valvoline Stock Down 0.6 %

NYSE:VVV traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $36.48. The company had a trading volume of 1,190,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,333,948. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $38.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.52 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.86 and a 1 year high of $48.26.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $76,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were bought at an average price of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.