State Street Corp Acquires 16,916 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 0.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,916 shares during the quarter. State Street Corp’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $171,436,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Valvoline by 92.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Valvoline by 57.9% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 267 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Valvoline during the second quarter worth about $34,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Valvoline during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Valvoline by 46.5% during the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valvoline Trading Down 1.4 %

VVV opened at $38.36 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $40.70 and its 200-day moving average is $41.65. Valvoline Inc. has a 1-year low of $33.86 and a 1-year high of $48.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77. The company has a market cap of $4.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.68 and a beta of 1.43.

Insider Activity

In related news, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief technology officer now directly owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at $598,240. This trade represents a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby bought 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at $1,044,261.50. This trade represents a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.34% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on VVV shares. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valvoline currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $46.25.

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.