Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Acquires Shares of 24,988 Valvoline (NYSE:VVV)

Key Points

• Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Valvoline, purchasing 24,988 shares valued at approximately $870,000 during the first quarter.
• Institutional investors hold a significant stake in Valvoline, owning 96.13% of the company’s stock, with major investments from firms like Norges Bank and Fiduciary Management Inc. WI in recent quarters.
• Analysts have mixed views on Valvoline's stock, with five recommending a hold, nine a buy, and a consensus price target of $42.54, reflecting cautious optimism in the market.

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline (NYSE:VVV - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 24,988 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $870,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Huntington National Bank grew its holdings in Valvoline by 1,004.9% during the fourth quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 895 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valvoline during the first quarter worth about $35,000. American National Bank & Trust bought a new position in Valvoline during the first quarter worth about $40,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in Valvoline by 221.8% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,181 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 814 shares during the period. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Valvoline during the fourth quarter worth approximately $49,000. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $33.78 per share, for a total transaction of $101,340.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 46,614 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,574,620.92. This trade represents a 6.88% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.66% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VVV has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $44.00 to $42.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $41.00 to $38.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Cfra Research upgraded Valvoline to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valvoline from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $40.00 to $45.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valvoline currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $42.15.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VVV traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $35.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 273,742 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,725,999. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.23, 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 $47.08. The business's 50 day moving average price is $36.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.98. The company has a market cap of $4.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.32 and a beta of 1.18.

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