BNP Paribas Financial Markets Boosts Stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 7.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 74,286 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 5,030 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned about 0.06% of Valvoline worth $3,109,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mather Group LLC. raised its position in Valvoline by 1,617.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 760 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in Valvoline during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $128,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 53.0% in the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,294 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $401,000 after purchasing an additional 3,219 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 57.9% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 6.4% during the second quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 1,130,920 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $48,857,000 after purchasing an additional 68,340 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Down 2.2 %

Valvoline stock opened at $38.04 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.86 and a fifty-two week high of $48.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48 and a beta of 1.43. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $40.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.72.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VVV has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Baird R W raised Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $46.25.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In related news, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $39.64 per share, with a total value of $99,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 38,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,523,285.92. This represents a 6.96 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The shares were bought 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 1.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.