Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Sold by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans trimmed its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 57,160 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 10,788 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans' holdings in Valvoline were worth $2,068,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VVV. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $407,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398,310 shares in the last quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Valvoline by 766.6% during the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 644,980 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $23,335,000 after purchasing an additional 570,550 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,340,000. Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 56.3% during the 4th quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,220,453 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $44,156,000 after buying an additional 439,809 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 28.5% in the 4th quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,577,313 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $57,067,000 after buying an additional 349,778 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on VVV shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $38.00 price target (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a "hold" rating and a $42.00 target price on the stock. Four 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, Valvoline currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $44.40.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VVV traded up $0.77 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $35.84. 1,754,622 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,317,519. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.48. Valvoline Inc. has a 1-year low of $33.90 and a 1-year high of $48.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The firm has a market cap of $4.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.15 and a beta of 1.32.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.