Caxton Associates LP Invests $309,000 in Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Caxton Associates LP purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 6,925 shares of the basic materials company’s stock, valued at approximately $309,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. bought a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth about $31,165,000. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth about $1,060,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new position in Valvoline in the 4th quarter worth about $1,049,000. Inspire Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valvoline in the 1st quarter worth about $237,000. Finally, Congress Asset Management Co. MA boosted its stake in Valvoline by 6.5% in the 1st quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 3,499,430 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $155,970,000 after purchasing an additional 212,428 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, June 7th. Piper Sandler began coverage on Valvoline in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $49.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Valvoline from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, July 19th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valvoline has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $44.25.

Valvoline Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VVV traded down $0.28 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $45.61. 164,857 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,158,776. The company has a market capitalization of $5.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.29 and a beta of 1.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.83. Valvoline Inc. has a 52-week low of $29.15 and a 52-week high of $48.26. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.80 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $41.82.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $388.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $390.75 million. Valvoline had a return on equity of 136.59% and a net margin of 11.78%. Valvoline’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.23 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.61 EPS for the current 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.