Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Sells 11,569 Shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. lowered its holdings in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) by 32.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,898 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 11,569 shares during the period. Lecap Asset Management Ltd.'s holdings in Valvoline were worth $832,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VVV. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth about $223,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline in the fourth quarter worth about $632,000. VELA Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valvoline by 39.8% in the fourth quarter. VELA Investment Management LLC now owns 84,273 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $3,049,000 after buying an additional 24,001 shares in the last quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 5.7% during the fourth quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,615 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $276,000 after buying an additional 408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,642,754 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $59,435,000 after acquiring an additional 16,912 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $44.00 price objective (down from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, May 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $40.00 to $45.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. TD Securities assumed coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $40.00 price objective on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valvoline has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 3,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $33.78 per share, with a total value of $101,340.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 46,614 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,574,620.92. This trade represents a 6.88% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valvoline Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VVV traded up $1.23 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $38.27. The company had a trading volume of 3,295,255 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,500,747. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23, a current ratio of 0.73 and a quick ratio of 0.60. The company has a market cap of $4.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.58 and a beta of 1.17. Valvoline has a 12-month low of $31.02 and a 12-month high of $48.27. The company has a fifty day moving average of $35.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $35.77.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.36 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $403.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $405.38 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 106.36% and a net margin of 15.97%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.37 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valvoline will post 1.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Valvoline

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.