Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Bought by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council grew its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 157.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 102,955 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 62,955 shares during the quarter. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $3,725,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VVV. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its stake 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 valued at $407,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398,310 shares during the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,670,000. Fiera Capital Corp acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,538,000. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC increased its position in Valvoline by 766.6% during the 4th 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. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth approximately $17,340,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, 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 completion of 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 filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees bought 2,500 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.64 per share, with a total value of $99,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 38,428 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,523,285.92. The trade was a 6.96 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on VVV. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. 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 for the company. Four 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.40.

Valvoline Stock Down 3.8 %

NYSE VVV opened at $36.50 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $4.64 billion, a PE ratio of 17.46 and a beta of 1.45. Valvoline Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.90 and a fifty-two week high of $48.26. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $37.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $39.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

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

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.