TimesSquare Capital Management LLC Raises Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

TimesSquare Capital Management LLC raised its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 766.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 644,980 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 570,550 shares during the period. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC owned about 0.50% of Valvoline worth $23,335,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 466.7% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 83.0% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,332 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 604 shares during the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the third quarter worth approximately $69,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in Valvoline during the third quarter worth $97,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Trading Down 3.6 %

Shares of Valvoline stock traded down $1.38 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $36.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 532,392 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,674,876. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.90 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $37.07 and a 200-day moving average of $39.52. The stock has a market cap of $4.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.70.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted 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. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a "hold" rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $44.40.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 26,437 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,044,261.50. This represents a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.64 per share, for a total transaction of $99,100.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,428 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,523,285.92. This trade represents a 6.96 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

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.