Alesco Advisors LLC Makes New $1.20 Million Investment in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Alesco Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 31,952 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,201,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 20.3% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,876 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $70,000 after buying an additional 316 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 7,045 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $265,000 after buying an additional 403 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 3.5% in the third quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 12,738 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $411,000 after buying an additional 428 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its stake in Valvoline by 1.2% during the third quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 37,559 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,211,000 after purchasing an additional 438 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Valvoline by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 4,889 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $184,000 after purchasing an additional 444 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of Valvoline stock traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $42.86. The company had a trading volume of 607,989 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,159,412. The company has a current ratio of 2.24, a quick ratio of 2.14 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.02. The company has a market capitalization of $5.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 1.44. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $37.72. Valvoline Inc. has a 1-year low of $29.15 and a 1-year high of $45.37.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.29. The business had revenue of $373.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $380.10 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 92.04% and a return on equity of 41.83%. Valvoline’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.16 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.61 earnings per share 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.