Virtu Financial LLC Invests $314,000 in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund purchased 8,680 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $314,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at about $36,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in Valvoline by 466.7% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Atala Financial Inc acquired a new stake in Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth approximately $77,000. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Valvoline by 90.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,538 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 1,206 shares during the period. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 560.5% in the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 2,169 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VVV shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price target (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. 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 report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.40.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other 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 value 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.66% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $35.25 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a one year low of $33.90 and a one year high of $48.27. The stock has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a PE ratio of 16.87 and a beta of 1.48. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $36.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $38.61. 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 (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 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, analysts forecast 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.