Quest Partners LLC Acquires 21,907 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Quest Partners LLC grew its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 110.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 41,711 shares of the basic materials company's stock after acquiring an additional 21,907 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC's holdings in Valvoline were worth $1,746,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VVV. Sculptor Capital LP raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 187.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 1,879,500 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $81,194,000 after acquiring an additional 1,226,000 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,670,000. Fiera Capital Corp acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the third quarter valued at approximately $25,538,000. F M Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the second quarter valued at approximately $11,992,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the second quarter valued at approximately $9,974,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VVV has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, August 15th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $49.00 price target for the company. Baird R W upgraded shares of Valvoline to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $47.75.

Valvoline Trading Down 8.7 %

NYSE VVV traded down $3.68 on Tuesday, hitting $38.65. 4,213,877 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,191,389. The company's 50 day moving average price is $41.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $42.03. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.86 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.92 and a beta of 1.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.62.

Valvoline declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, July 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $400.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the basic materials company to repurchase up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.