Nicolet Advisory Services LLC Makes New $214,000 Investment in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Nicolet Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,157 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of VVV. State Street Corp increased its stake in Valvoline by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $171,436,000 after buying an additional 16,916 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $93,215,000 after acquiring an additional 54,545 shares during the period. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Valvoline by 52.4% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 53,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,242,000 after purchasing an additional 18,414 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at about $9,095,000. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,642,754 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $59,435,000 after purchasing an additional 16,912 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of Valvoline 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. TD Securities started coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 price objective (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $43.67.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $34.57 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.99 and a 12-month high of $48.27. The stock has a market cap of $4.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.54 and a beta of 1.32. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The company has a 50-day moving average of $36.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $38.41.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. As a group, research 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.