Oak Thistle LLC Grows Stock Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Oak Thistle LLC increased its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 314.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,117 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,266 shares during the quarter. Oak Thistle LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $728,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in Valvoline by 16.8% in the 3rd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 9,738,142 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $407,541,000 after purchasing an additional 1,398,310 shares during the period. Sculptor Capital LP increased its position in Valvoline by 187.6% in the second quarter. Sculptor Capital LP now owns 1,879,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $81,194,000 after buying an additional 1,226,000 shares in the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valvoline in the third quarter worth about $32,670,000. Fiera Capital Corp bought a new position in shares of Valvoline in the third quarter worth about $25,538,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 438.7% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Trading Up 2.5 %

Shares of VVV opened at $36.71 on Thursday. Valvoline Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $33.86 and a fifty-two week high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.72. The company’s fifty day moving average is $38.42 and its 200 day moving average is $40.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.71 billion, a PE ratio of 22.66 and a beta of 1.45.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were acquired 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 directly owns 38,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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, Director Charles M. Sonsteby bought 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.50 per share, with a total value of $395,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Stephens began 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. 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. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price target on Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.