Caxton Associates LLP Buys New Holdings in Valvoline $VVV

Key Points

• Caxton Associates LLP invested approximately $1.66 million in Valvoline by acquiring 47,566 shares in the first quarter.
• Several brokerages have upgraded Valvoline's rating, with Goldman Sachs raising its price target from $40.00 to $45.00, reflecting positive market sentiment.
• Valvoline reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.47, slightly exceeding analyst estimates and showing a 4.2% increase in revenue year-over-year.

Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 47,566 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $1,656,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VVV. Boston Partners acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 1st quarter valued at about $82,748,000. Millennium Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 315.4% during the 1st quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,510,338 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $52,575,000 after acquiring an additional 1,146,728 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 653.5% during the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 1,147,254 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,508,000 after acquiring an additional 994,988 shares during the last quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valvoline during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,985,000. Finally, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 144.6% during the 1st quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,224,420 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $42,622,000 after acquiring an additional 723,938 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VVV has been the topic of several recent research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Stephens boosted their price target on shares of Valvoline from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. Cfra Research upgraded shares of Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, September 7th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.77.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO J Kevin Willis bought 12,725 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $39.41 per share, with a total value of $501,492.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 12,725 shares in the company, valued at $501,492.25. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Valvoline Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of VVV traded down $0.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $40.47. 1,224,422 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,419,957. The stock's 50-day moving average is $38.12 and its 200-day moving average is $36.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.37, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.73. Valvoline has a fifty-two week low of $31.01 and a fifty-two week high of $43.74. The company has a market cap of $5.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.82 and a beta of 1.21.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 6th. The basic materials company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $439.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $436.35 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.43% and a return on equity of 84.85%. The firm's revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.