Xponance Inc. Buys 1,577 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Xponance Inc. increased its position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 6.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,867 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 1,577 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $1,008,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in Valvoline by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $407,541,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398,310 shares in the last quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC lifted 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 valued at $23,335,000 after acquiring an additional 570,550 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in Valvoline during the 4th quarter valued at about $17,340,000. Geneva Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Valvoline by 56.3% in the fourth quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 1,220,453 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $44,156,000 after purchasing an additional 439,809 shares during the period. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 28.5% during the fourth 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 purchasing an additional 349,778 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $35.28 on Monday. Valvoline Inc. has a 52 week low of $33.90 and a 52 week 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 stock has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88 and a beta of 1.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.72.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (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, analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VVV has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Mizuho dropped their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valvoline currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.40.

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.