GAMMA Investing LLC Makes New $35,000 Investment in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 954 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $35,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VVV. Park Place Capital Corp purchased a new stake in Valvoline during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at $57,000. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new position in Valvoline in the 3rd quarter worth $60,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Valvoline by 20.3% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,876 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $70,000 after acquiring an additional 316 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Valvoline during the 3rd quarter valued at about $125,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised Valvoline from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $37.00 to $44.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Mizuho began coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $50.00 price objective on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Valvoline from $36.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.75.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of VVV stock opened at $43.62 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.66 billion, a PE ratio of 5.42 and a beta of 1.45. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $43.14 and a 200-day simple moving average of $38.14. The company has a quick ratio of 2.14, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.15 and a 52-week high of $45.37.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.29. The business had revenue of $373.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $380.10 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 41.83% and a net margin of 92.04%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.16 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current year.

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.