Fulton Bank N.A. Increases Stock Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Fulton Bank N.A. grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 13.5% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 12,603 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,501 shares during the quarter. Fulton Bank N.A.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $456,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VVV. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position 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 worth $407,541,000 after acquiring an additional 1,398,310 shares during the period. Sculptor Capital LP increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 187.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 1,879,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $81,194,000 after purchasing an additional 1,226,000 shares in the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Valvoline in the 3rd quarter worth $32,670,000. Fiera Capital Corp purchased a new position in Valvoline during the third quarter valued at $25,538,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in Valvoline by 438.7% during 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 purchasing an additional 251,398 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of VVV stock opened at $34.92 on Friday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $38.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $40.99. Valvoline Inc. has a 52 week low of $33.86 and a 52 week high of $48.26. The stock has a market cap of $4.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.56 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valvoline news, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 2,500 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $39.64 per share, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 6.96 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $598,240. This trade represents a 11.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.66% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VVV. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price objective on the stock. 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. Stephens started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.33.

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.