Meridian Wealth Management LLC Acquires 408 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Meridian Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 5.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,615 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 408 shares during the period. Meridian Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $276,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Valvoline in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $36,000. ORG Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 466.7% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $46,000 after buying an additional 1,050 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $97,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Valvoline by 90.5% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,538 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 1,206 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Price Performance

VVV stock opened at $35.54 on Thursday. Valvoline Inc. has a 1 year low of $33.90 and a 1 year high of $48.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market cap of $4.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.00 and a beta of 1.45. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $36.95 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.26.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. Research analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $572,560.05. This represents a 28.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CTO Robert Travis Dobbins sold 1,914 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the chief technology officer now directly 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 subject of several analyst reports. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on shares of Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $38.00 target price (down from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $44.40.

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.