Asset Dedication LLC Lowers Holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Asset Dedication LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 23.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,221 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 370 shares during the period. Asset Dedication LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $44,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wasatch Advisors LP increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 16.8% during 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. State Street Corp grew its stake in Valvoline by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,096,436 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $171,436,000 after purchasing an additional 16,916 shares in the last quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. increased its holdings in Valvoline by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. now owns 3,656,672 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $153,032,000 after purchasing an additional 100,305 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,226,769 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $93,215,000 after purchasing an additional 54,545 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,625,842 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $68,041,000 after buying an additional 19,877 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby purchased 10,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $39.50 per share, for a total transaction of $395,000.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,044,261.50. This trade represents a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of Valvoline 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 completion of the transaction, the chief technology officer now owns 14,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $598,240. This represents a 11.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VVV has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird reduced 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. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, December 20th. They set a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their target price on Valvoline from $52.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.89.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV stock opened at $37.73 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $37.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $40.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.77, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a current ratio of 0.72. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.86 and a 1 year high of $48.26. The firm has a market cap of $4.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.29 and a beta of 1.45.

Valvoline 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.