Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) Upgraded to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Valvoline from $38.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $44.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho set a $40.00 price objective on Valvoline in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Valvoline from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $43.00 price target on shares of Valvoline in a research note on Wednesday. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $39.94.

Valvoline Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:VVV opened at $37.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.31. The company has a market capitalization of $4.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 56.08 and a beta of 1.19. Valvoline has a 52-week low of $28.50 and a 52-week high of $41.33. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $31.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $34.30.

Valvoline (NYSE:VVV) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.34 by $0.03. Valvoline had a net margin of 4.91% and a return on equity of 69.71%. The firm had revenue of $461.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $466.87 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.32 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. Valvoline has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.600-1.700 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valvoline will post 1.63 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Valvoline

In related news, CEO Lori Ann Flees acquired 4,500 shares of Valvoline stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The shares were bought at an average price of $30.82 per share, for a total transaction of $138,690.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 69,267 shares in the company, valued at $2,134,808.94. This trade represents a 6.95% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Julie Marie O’daniel sold 3,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $31.88, for a total value of $102,016.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 17,251 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $549,961.88. This trade represents a 15.65% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.66% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valvoline

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cooke & Bieler LP purchased a new position in shares of Valvoline in the second quarter valued at $110,501,000. Boston Partners lifted its holdings in Valvoline by 67.3% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,977,293 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $150,604,000 after buying an additional 1,599,973 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Valvoline in the 2nd quarter valued at about $57,739,000. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. boosted its position in Valvoline by 118.8% in the 2nd quarter. Mawer Investment Management Ltd. now owns 2,678,878 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $101,449,000 after buying an additional 1,454,458 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Channing Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valvoline by 189.8% during the second quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 2,163,631 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $81,937,000 after acquiring an additional 1,417,156 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

About Valvoline

Valvoline (NYSE: VVV) is a leading global producer and distributor of automotive and industrial lubricants. The company’s portfolio spans engine oils, gear oils, transmission fluids, greases, coolants and driveline products, all designed to help improve vehicle performance and longevity. Valvoline’s products are marketed under the Valvoline®, Valvoline NextGen® and Valvoline™ SynPower® brand names and are formulated to meet the stringent requirements of passenger cars, light trucks, heavy‐duty vehicles and off‐road applications.

In addition to its core lubricant business, Valvoline operates one of North America’s largest quick‐lubricant service networks through Valvoline Instant Oil Change℠ (VIOC).