Lecap Asset Management Ltd. Invests $988,000 in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 23,620 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $988,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VVV. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in Valvoline by 92.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 302 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Valvoline by 57.9% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 728 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Valvoline during the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in Valvoline by 1,617.0% in the second quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 807 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 760 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Valvoline by 46.5% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Baird R W raised shares of Valvoline to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Valvoline from $50.00 to $46.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Stephens started coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Tuesday, October 15th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on shares of Valvoline from $54.00 to $48.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $47.75.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $41.92 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $5.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.27 and a beta of 1.45. Valvoline Inc. has a twelve month low of $29.15 and a twelve month high of $48.26. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $41.14 and a two-hundred day moving average of $42.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.57.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The basic materials company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.03). Valvoline had a net margin of 10.45% and a return on equity of 182.88%. The business had revenue of $421.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $425.17 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Valvoline declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, July 30th that permits the company to repurchase $400.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to repurchase up to 7.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

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.