Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Buys 11,847 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. grew its stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 50.2% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 35,467 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,847 shares during the quarter. Lecap Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $1,283,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VVV. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 46.6% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,698 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $117,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares in the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline in the 2nd quarter valued at about $310,000. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 376.0% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 14,141 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $592,000 after purchasing an additional 11,170 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 8.8% during the third quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 7,052 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB increased its holdings in Valvoline by 50.0% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 41,400 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,733,000 after buying an additional 13,800 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $38.00 target price (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Valvoline from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a report on Friday, December 20th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $42.00 target price for the company. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $42.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $46.00 to $44.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.11.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In other Valvoline news, Director Charles M. Sonsteby purchased 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $39.50 per share, with a total value of $395,000.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 26,437 shares in the company, valued at $1,044,261.50. This trade represents a 60.84 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 2,500 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 27th. The shares were bought at an average price of $39.64 per share, with a total value of $99,100.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 38,428 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,523,285.92. The trade was a 6.96 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Valvoline Stock Down 2.1 %

NYSE:VVV opened at $38.74 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $37.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.96. The company has a market cap of $4.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.54 and a beta of 1.45. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $33.90 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. Valvoline had a return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. Analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.64 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.