Royce & Associates LP Buys 11,111 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Royce & Associates LP raised its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 0.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,262,293 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 11,111 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned 0.98% of Valvoline worth $45,670,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VVV. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 466.7% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at $77,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Valvoline by 90.5% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,538 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $92,000 after buying an additional 1,206 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In other news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE VVV traded down $0.64 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $35.64. The company had a trading volume of 879,593 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,267,229. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.82. Valvoline Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.90 and a fifty-two week high of $48.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The stock has a market cap of $4.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.05 and a beta of 1.48.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VVV. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price 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. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $44.40.

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.