Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 260,362 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,420,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in VVV. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Prospera Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. ORG Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 466.7% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 90.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,538 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 1,206 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 3rd quarter valued at $97,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 price target (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.40.

Valvoline Stock Performance

VVV opened at $35.28 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. The company has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.88 and a beta of 1.48. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $33.90 and a 52-week high of $48.27. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $36.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $38.75.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

About Valvoline

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.