Royce & Associates LP Has $45.67 Million Stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Royce & Associates LP boosted its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 0.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,262,293 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 11,111 shares during the period. Royce & Associates LP owned approximately 0.98% of Valvoline worth $45,670,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. MAI Capital Management grew its stake in Valvoline by 2.4% during the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 11,624 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 268 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in Valvoline by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 35,530 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,285,000 after buying an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its stake in Valvoline by 0.7% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 47,602 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,992,000 after buying an additional 313 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 10.9% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,548 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $128,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 19,215 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VVV has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. 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 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 price target (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $44.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total transaction of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Up 1.8 %

Valvoline stock opened at $35.46 on Friday. 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 52-week low of $33.90 and a 52-week high of $48.27. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $36.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.95. The firm has a market cap of $4.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.96 and a beta of 1.48.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released 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%. Equities analysts predict that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS 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.