Atala Financial Inc Purchases New Shares in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $77,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wasatch Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 16.8% during the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $407,541,000 after buying an additional 1,398,310 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 16,916 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Valvoline by 2.5% during the 3rd 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.0% during 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 acquiring an additional 16,912 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 28.5% in the 4th 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 period. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE VVV opened at $35.46 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a PE ratio of 16.96 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a current ratio of 0.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $36.78 and a 200-day moving average of $38.97. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.90 and a 52-week high of $48.27.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on VVV. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Four investment 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 company. According to MarketBeat, Valvoline presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $572,560.05. This trade represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

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.