MML Investors Services LLC Boosts Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

MML Investors Services LLC grew its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 17.6% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 13,624 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,035 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $570,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VVV. State Street Corp increased its stake in Valvoline by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $171,436,000 after acquiring an additional 16,916 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 8.1% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 422,989 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $17,702,000 after purchasing an additional 31,661 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in Valvoline by 28.8% in the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 126,232 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $5,453,000 after purchasing an additional 28,254 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG bought a new stake in Valvoline during the third quarter valued at approximately $4,628,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Valvoline by 118.2% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 67,948 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,844,000 after buying an additional 36,814 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on VVV shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $45.78.

Valvoline Price Performance

VVV stock opened at $36.55 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.72, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $40.31 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.56 and a beta of 1.43. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $33.86 and a 12-month high of $48.26.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby bought 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $76,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,240. This trade represents a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.