Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Stake Boosted by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council lifted its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 157.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 102,955 shares of the basic materials company's stock after purchasing an additional 62,955 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council owned about 0.08% of Valvoline worth $3,725,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp lifted its position in Valvoline by 0.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $171,436,000 after acquiring an additional 16,916 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in Valvoline by 8.1% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 422,989 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $17,702,000 after acquiring an additional 31,661 shares during the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new stake in Valvoline in the third quarter valued at $4,628,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in Valvoline by 118.2% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 67,948 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,844,000 after acquiring an additional 36,814 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Valvoline by 2.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $93,215,000 after purchasing an additional 54,545 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Four equities 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. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $44.40.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In related news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the insider now owns 15,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $76,560.00. Following the sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 14,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $598,240. This trade represents a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

Valvoline Trading Down 0.9 %

NYSE:VVV traded down $0.33 on Thursday, reaching $36.65. The stock had a trading volume of 740,041 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,627,362. The company has a market cap of $4.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.54 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The firm's fifty day moving average is $37.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.40. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.90 and a 12-month high of $48.26.

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

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.