Marshall Wace LLP Raises Stock Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Marshall Wace LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 697.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,058,267 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 925,504 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.82% of Valvoline worth $38,288,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VVV. Charter Oak Advisors LP bought a new position in Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth $11,703,000. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its stake in Valvoline by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 10,818,256 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $391,405,000 after buying an additional 1,080,114 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 14.2% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 55,705 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $2,015,000 after buying an additional 6,912 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 16,793 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $608,000 after buying an additional 602 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 271.0% in the 4th quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 198,785 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $7,192,000 after acquiring an additional 145,205 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VVV traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $34.57. The company had a trading volume of 402,271 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,367,599. The stock has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.56 and a beta of 1.32. The company's 50 day moving average price is $35.12 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $31.02 and a 52-week high of $48.27.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VVV has been the subject of a number of research reports. TD Securities started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. Mizuho cut their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on 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 target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valvoline presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $43.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In related news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the insider now owns 15,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate 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.