Dark Forest Capital Management LP Invests $582,000 in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 16,089 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $582,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VVV. Huntington National Bank lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 1,004.9% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 895 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 814 shares during the last quarter. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Valvoline by 466.7% during the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 1,275 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,050 shares during the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter valued at $49,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the 4th quarter valued at $73,000. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valvoline Stock Down 0.8 %

VVV traded down $0.29 during trading on Thursday, reaching $33.97. 343,505 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,373,730. The stock has a market cap of $4.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.26 and a beta of 1.32. Valvoline Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $31.02 and a fifty-two week high of $48.27. 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's 50-day simple moving average is $34.76 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $37.38.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 return on equity of 143.64% and a net margin of 16.34%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "equal weight" rating and set a $38.00 price objective (down previously from $42.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup cut their price objective on Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. TD Securities started coverage on Valvoline in a report on Friday, April 4th. They set a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Valvoline from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 13th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Valvoline presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $42.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valvoline news, insider Julie Marie O'daniel sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 15,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.66% of the company's stock.

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.