Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Grows Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 28.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,577,313 shares of the basic materials company's stock after buying an additional 349,778 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned about 1.23% of Valvoline worth $57,067,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Valvoline by 46.6% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,698 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $117,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valvoline in the second quarter valued at $310,000. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 376.0% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,141 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $592,000 after buying an additional 11,170 shares during the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 8.8% during the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 7,052 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $295,000 after buying an additional 569 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 46.5% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

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

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of VVV traded down $0.47 on Wednesday, reaching $39.63. The stock had a trading volume of 2,245,071 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,682,838. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.90 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.08 billion, a PE ratio of 18.96 and a beta of 1.45. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $37.04 and a 200 day moving average of $39.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.70 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 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.64 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on VVV shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $38.00 price target (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $45.11.

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.