Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Purchases 36,814 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 118.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 67,948 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 36,814 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Valvoline were worth $2,844,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VVV. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Valvoline by 13.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 161,225 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,747,000 after acquiring an additional 19,107 shares in the last quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 8.5% in the 3rd quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,227,535 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $51,371,000 after purchasing an additional 96,615 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valvoline by 8.1% during the third 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 during the period. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valvoline in the third quarter worth approximately $227,000. Finally, MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valvoline during the third quarter worth $229,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.34% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV stock opened at $38.79 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $41.26 and a 200 day moving average of $41.85. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.86 and a 1 year high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.94 and a beta of 1.46.

Valvoline announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 30th that allows the company to repurchase $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the basic materials company to repurchase up to 7.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VVV has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Baird R W raised shares of Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Stephens assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $46.25.

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.