Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Boosts Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Mawer Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 14.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 500,482 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after acquiring an additional 62,493 shares during the quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. owned approximately 0.39% of Valvoline worth $18,107,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VVV. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Valvoline by 466.7% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter valued at $77,000. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 90.5% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,538 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 1,206 shares during the period. Finally, 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Valvoline by 560.5% in the 4th quarter. 1620 Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 2,556 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 2,169 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on VVV. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus initiated coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.40.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.66% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valvoline Stock Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $35.11 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $36.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $38.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.46 billion, a PE ratio of 16.80 and a beta of 1.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39. Valvoline Inc. has a 12 month low of $33.90 and a 12 month high of $48.27.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. Equities analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current year.

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.