Inspire Investing LLC Purchases 1,265 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 11.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,234 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $443,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. MAI Capital Management increased its stake in Valvoline by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 11,624 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $486,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Valvoline by 92.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D increased its stake in Valvoline by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 47,602 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,992,000 after purchasing an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Valvoline by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 6,292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $272,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Place Capital Corp increased its stake in Valvoline by 29.3% during the 3rd quarter. Park Place Capital Corp now owns 1,608 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $37.03 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $37.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $40.53. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.86 and a 1 year high of $48.26. The company has a market capitalization of $4.75 billion, a PE ratio of 22.86 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 price objective (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.89.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $39.50 per share, with a total value of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,044,261.50. This trade represents a 60.84 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the 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 directly owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,240. The trade was a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.