Peregrine Capital Management LLC Increases Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Peregrine Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 204,757 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,664 shares during the period. Peregrine Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $7,408,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Valvoline during the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in Valvoline by 466.7% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Valvoline by 83.0% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,332 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the third quarter worth $69,000. Finally, Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. purchased a new position in Valvoline in the 3rd quarter worth about $97,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VVV has been the topic of several research reports. Mizuho dropped their target price 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. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valvoline currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.40.

Valvoline Stock Down 3.8 %

Shares of VVV stock opened at $38.17 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. Valvoline Inc. has a one year low of $33.90 and a one year high of $48.26. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $37.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.59. The company has a market capitalization of $4.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.26 and a beta of 1.45.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. Sell-side analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In related news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby purchased 10,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $39.64 per share, for a total transaction of $99,100.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 38,428 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,523,285.92. This 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 owned by corporate insiders.

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.