Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Shares Bought by Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.

Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 71.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 21,582 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,987 shares during the quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $781,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 0.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $171,436,000 after purchasing an additional 16,916 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 8.1% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 422,989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $17,702,000 after buying an additional 31,661 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,628,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 36,814 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Valvoline by 2.5% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $93,215,000 after acquiring an additional 54,545 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VVV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho cut their target price 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $44.40.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 2,500 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.64 per share, for a total transaction of $99,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,523,285.92. This trade represents a 6.96 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were bought 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 directly owns 26,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,044,261.50. This trade represents a 60.84 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV opened at $36.50 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.46 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.70. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.90 and a 1 year high of $48.26. The company’s fifty day moving average is $37.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.52.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly 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, sell-side analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current 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.