Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Bought by Isthmus Partners LLC

Isthmus Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,157 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 507 shares during the period. Isthmus Partners LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $331,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $171,436,000 after purchasing an additional 16,916 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 8.1% during the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 422,989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,702,000 after purchasing an additional 31,661 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,628,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 118.2% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 67,948 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,844,000 after purchasing an additional 36,814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $93,215,000 after purchasing an additional 54,545 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In related news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the insider now owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $76,560.00. Following the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $34.51 on Tuesday. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.90 and a 52-week high of $48.26. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $36.86 and a 200-day moving average of $39.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.39 billion, a PE ratio of 16.51 and a beta of 1.48. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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, analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.40.

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.