First Hawaiian Bank Buys 1,300 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

First Hawaiian Bank boosted its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 3.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 42,055 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,300 shares during the quarter. First Hawaiian Bank’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $1,522,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Valvoline by 16.8% in the third quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $407,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398,310 shares during the last quarter. Sculptor Capital LP lifted its position in Valvoline by 187.6% during 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 purchasing an additional 1,226,000 shares during the period. Geneva Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,670,000. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the third quarter worth approximately $25,538,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 438.7% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 308,699 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $12,919,000 after buying an additional 251,398 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.3 %

Valvoline stock opened at $34.92 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $38.75 and a 200-day moving average of $40.99. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.86 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.48 billion, a PE ratio of 21.56 and a beta of 1.45.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby purchased 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $39.50 per share, with a total value of $395,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,044,261.50. This trade represents a 60.84 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 2,500 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $39.64 per share, with a total value of $99,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,523,285.92. This trade represents a 6.96 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned 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 $45.33.

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.