Vestor Capital LLC Takes Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Vestor Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 1,646 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $69,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VVV. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 92.1% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Valvoline by 57.9% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Mather Group LLC. raised its position in Valvoline by 1,617.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 760 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Valvoline by 46.5% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VVV has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Thursday, August 15th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $48.00 price target for the company. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, Stephens began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, October 15th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $47.75.

Valvoline Stock Performance

NYSE:VVV opened at $40.70 on Tuesday. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.15 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57. The company has a 50-day moving average of $41.13 and a 200-day moving average of $42.01. The firm has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.09 and a beta of 1.46.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.03). Valvoline had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 182.88%. The firm had revenue of $421.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $425.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. Valvoline’s quarterly revenue was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valvoline declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, July 30th that permits the company to repurchase $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to buy up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.