ORG Partners LLC Increases Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

ORG Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 466.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $46,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 16.8% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $407,541,000 after buying an additional 1,398,310 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted 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 purchasing an additional 16,916 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 3,656,672 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $153,032,000 after purchasing an additional 100,305 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 3.6% in 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 purchasing an additional 94,673 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Valvoline by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $93,215,000 after purchasing an additional 54,545 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price 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. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valvoline has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.33.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $34.80 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77. The stock has a market cap of $4.46 billion, a PE ratio of 21.48 and a beta of 1.45. The company’s fifty day moving average is $38.64 and its 200 day moving average is $40.93. Valvoline Inc. has a 52 week low of $33.86 and a 52 week high of $48.26.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Lori Ann Flees bought 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $39.64 per share, for a total transaction of $99,100.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,523,285.92. The trade was a 6.96 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total value of $76,560.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now directly owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at $598,240. This trade represents a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

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.