Sculptor Capital LP Purchases 13,000 Shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV)

Sculptor Capital LP grew its position in shares of Valvoline Inc. (NYSE:VVV) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,033,500 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after buying an additional 13,000 shares during the period. Valvoline makes up about 1.0% of Sculptor Capital LP’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Sculptor Capital LP’s holdings in Valvoline were worth $73,572,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in Valvoline by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 21,425 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $775,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Valvoline by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 35,530 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,285,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Research Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valvoline by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Advisory Research Inc. now owns 41,045 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,485,000 after buying an additional 295 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Valvoline by 10.9% during the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,548 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $128,000 after buying an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in Valvoline by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 56,792 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,055,000 after buying an additional 360 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VVV has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Valvoline from $41.00 to $39.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Valvoline in a research report on Friday, April 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $40.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $44.00 price objective (down previously from $45.00) on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Friday, May 9th. TD Securities began coverage on Valvoline in a research note on Friday, April 4th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $40.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Valvoline from $46.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valvoline has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.33.

Valvoline Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE VVV opened at $34.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.39, a current ratio of 0.70 and a quick ratio of 0.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.44 billion, a PE ratio of 16.71 and a beta of 1.20. Valvoline Inc. has a one year low of $31.02 and a one year high of $48.27. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $34.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.77.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The basic materials company reported $0.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $403.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $405.38 million. Valvoline had a net margin of 16.34% and a return on equity of 143.64%. The company’s revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Valvoline Inc. will post 1.63 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 6,000 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $37.41, for a total value of $224,460.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,305 shares in the company, valued at approximately $572,560.05. The trade was a 28.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

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.