Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Raises Stock Position in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV – Get Rating) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans’ holdings in Valvoline were worth $1,539,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in VVV. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 15.9% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 9,875 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $312,000 after purchasing an additional 1,355 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 6.9% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 57,072 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,801,000 after buying an additional 3,687 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 47.0% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 21,610 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $682,000 after buying an additional 6,914 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 42.8% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 34,130 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,075,000 after buying an additional 10,224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 26,908 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $849,000 after buying an additional 1,456 shares in the last quarter. 90.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VVV has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $36.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $40.00 to $43.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Valvoline from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 11th. Finally, Citigroup lowered shares of Valvoline from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $37.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, February 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valvoline

In other news, SVP Heidi J. Matheys sold 2,546 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.64, for a total transaction of $98,377.44. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 37,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,435,823.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Heidi J. Matheys sold 2,546 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.64, for a total transaction of $98,377.44. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 37,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,435,823.76. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Heidi J. Matheys sold 5,823 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $35.25, for a total transaction of $205,260.75. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 37,159 shares in the company, valued at $1,309,854.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.99% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Valvoline Price Performance

NYSE:VVV opened at $38.73 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $6.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.30 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a current ratio of 3.95, a quick ratio of 3.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company’s 50-day moving average is $34.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $34.07. Valvoline Inc. has a 12-month low of $24.40 and a 12-month high of $39.67.

About Valvoline

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Valvoline, Inc engages in the production, marketing, and supply of engine and automotive maintenance products and services. It operates through the Retail Services segment. The Retail Services segment services the passenger car and light truck quick lube market in the US and Canada with preventive maintenance services done through company operated and independent franchise care stores.