Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Holdings Raised by Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 29.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,045,198 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 467,885 shares during the period. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned about 1.61% of Valvoline worth $71,193,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VVV. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 1,004.9% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 895 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the first quarter valued at $35,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. American National Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the first quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 221.8% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,181 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 814 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.78 per share, with a total value of $101,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 46,614 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,574,620.92. This represents a 6.88% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Trading Down 3.1%

Valvoline stock opened at $35.33 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a one year low of $31.02 and a one year high of $48.27. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $34.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The company has a market capitalization of $4.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.90 and a beta of 1.17.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $403.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $405.38 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.37 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VVV. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. TD Securities started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price target for the company. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 29th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Valvoline from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $42.54.

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.