Insider Buying: Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Director Purchases $395,000.00 in Stock

Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) Director Charles M. Sonsteby acquired 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,044,261.50. The trade was a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Valvoline Stock Up 3.4 %

NYSE:VVV opened at $40.10 on Friday. Valvoline Inc. has a one year low of $33.86 and a one year high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The company has a market cap of $5.15 billion, a PE ratio of 24.75 and a beta of 1.46. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $41.21 and its 200 day simple moving average is $41.82.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valvoline

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Valvoline by 57.9% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. MAI Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Valvoline by 2.4% in the third quarter. MAI Capital Management now owns 11,624 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $486,000 after buying an additional 268 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 92.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 0.7% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 47,602 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,992,000 after acquiring an additional 313 shares during the period. Finally, Evergreen Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 6.1% in the second quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 6,292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $272,000 after acquiring an additional 359 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. Stephens started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $46.25.

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.