Inspire Investing LLC Raises Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Inspire Investing LLC lifted its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 17.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,969 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,664 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $459,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in Valvoline by 25.1% in the 1st quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 8,507,925 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $379,198,000 after purchasing an additional 1,706,190 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 19,218.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,735,549 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $140,382,000 after acquiring an additional 3,716,212 shares during the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 6.5% during the 1st quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 3,499,430 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $155,970,000 after acquiring an additional 212,428 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 3.6% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,720,748 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $117,534,000 after acquiring an additional 94,673 shares during the period. Finally, Sculptor Capital LP grew its position in Valvoline by 187.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 1,879,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $81,194,000 after acquiring an additional 1,226,000 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $41.48 on Wednesday. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $29.15 and a 12-month high of $48.26. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $40.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $42.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.34 billion, a PE ratio of 32.92 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $421.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $425.17 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 182.88%. Valvoline’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valvoline declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, July 30th that permits the company to buyback $400.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the basic materials company to reacquire up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Baird R W upgraded Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $47.75.

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.